Handbook of Clinical Psychiatry

Psychiatry is a field of medicine that aims to study, prevent and treat mental illness in human beings. It includes various maladaptations associated with cognition, behavior, perceptions and mood. It helps in treating and managing mental illnesses that are traditionally classified into three types, namely, personality disorders, mental illnesses and severe learning disabilities. The main pillars of psychotherapy used in the treatment of psychological disorders are psychoanalysis, humanistic psychology and behaviorism. A psychiatric assessment can be conducted to determine the mental and physical health of a person. This typically involves questioning the individual and gathering information from a variety of sources including associates, emergency medical personnel, relatives, psychiatric rating scales, health and social care professionals and law enforcement personnel. The mental and physical examination is useful in determining or ruling out other disorders that could be contributing to the psychiatric problems. This book explores all the important aspects of psychiatry in the present day scenario. It aims to understand the clinical perspectives of psychiatry. This book will prove to be immensely beneficial to students and researchers in this field.