- Email: [email protected]
Current psychotherapeutic drugs
Book Reviews
limited to, a discussion of neurobehavioral models of fear loss by Falls and Davis, that argues for the relevance of conditioned inhibition over extinction. Krystal et al. provide a chapter on the neurobiology of dissociation that integrates clinical observation, neurobiology, and pharmacological challenge studies. Friedman and Schnurr bring together findings relating PTSD and medical morbidity that are otherwise difficult to access.Marmar et al. provide an unusually integrative discussion of issues relevant to dynamic psychotherapy. Perhaps implicit in the organization of the book is the notion that PTSD is at the severe end of a continuum of stress responses. This notion has been challenged in the literature and, in fact, is challenged within the text itself. Nonetheless, the book is rich with information relevant to alternative conceptualizations for PTSD (e.g., information on mechanisms for regulating arousal and processing memory, relationships of PTSD, and other psychiatric diagnostic categories). Though the boundaries of stress and traumatic stress, and relationships of pathological vs adaptive responses remain unresolved, Neurobiological and Clinical Consequencesof Stress provides a rich framework for addressing these issues.In retrospect, part of my motivation for sharing it with colleagues may have been to impress the less initiated with the degree of sophistication that is now being applied to the PTSD field. It was worth the investment (in my case of time). I highly recommend the volume to readers with a serious interest in the current status of empirical research that is being applied to PTSD, particularly with a biological emphasis. I further recommend sharing it with colleagues. ,It will point toward bridges from the clinical arena of PTSD to a range of neurobiological and behavioral science disciplines. THOMAS
A.
MELLMAN,
M.D.
Miami, FL PI1 SOl63-8343(97)00082-O
450
Current Psychotherapeutic Drugs. By Donald F. Klein and Lewis I’. Rowland. New York, Brunner/Mazel, Inc., 1995 ($39.95) 184 pp. Current Psychotherapeutic Drtlgs is a compendium of brief, generally one-page profiles of pharmacologic agents in psychiatry, collected by Donald F. Klein and Lewis I’. Rowland, with the help of seven contributors. Included are 132 drugs from seven drug classes: stimulants, antidepressants, antimanic agents, sedative-hypnotics, antipsychotics, and antianxiety agents; nonprescription sleep aids and anorexiants are also included. Four to six page introductions to each drug class are provided by wellknown researchers. Material is brief and to the point. As the authors state, this is not a textbook of pharmacology or psychiatry. There are one to two pages of drug listings with well-formatted sections on indications, contraindications, interactions, adverse effects, pharmacokinetics, prolonged use overdosage, and availability. In addition, special precautions, special groups (e.g., pregnancy, breast feeding), and dosing patterns are included. These drug listings are a welcome relief from the ponderous and irrelevant PDR style. Material is focused and pragmatic. It is easy to read and will likely be used at the fingertips of prescribing physicians, nurses, therapists, or students. FDA-approved uses as well as off-label indications are covered. The reader will not be overwhelmed by pharmacokinetics or endless listings of adverse effects. Sections on dosage are clear and descriptions of overdosage provided clinical symptoms and treatment. The book is published in an international edition, including some drugs not available in the US. Though some newly released drugs (e.g., Zyprexa) were not available at the time of publication, the book is to be updated annually. It will likely prove to be a convenient and time-saving reference. WILLIAM
M.
PETRIE,
M.D.
Nashville, Tennessee PI1 SO163-8343(97)00045-5
limited to, a discussion of neurobehavioral models of fear loss by Falls and Davis, that argues for the relevance of conditioned inhibition over extinction. Krystal et al. provide a chapter on the neurobiology of dissociation that integrates clinical observation, neurobiology, and pharmacological challenge studies. Friedman and Schnurr bring together findings relating PTSD and medical morbidity that are otherwise difficult to access.Marmar et al. provide an unusually integrative discussion of issues relevant to dynamic psychotherapy. Perhaps implicit in the organization of the book is the notion that PTSD is at the severe end of a continuum of stress responses. This notion has been challenged in the literature and, in fact, is challenged within the text itself. Nonetheless, the book is rich with information relevant to alternative conceptualizations for PTSD (e.g., information on mechanisms for regulating arousal and processing memory, relationships of PTSD, and other psychiatric diagnostic categories). Though the boundaries of stress and traumatic stress, and relationships of pathological vs adaptive responses remain unresolved, Neurobiological and Clinical Consequencesof Stress provides a rich framework for addressing these issues.In retrospect, part of my motivation for sharing it with colleagues may have been to impress the less initiated with the degree of sophistication that is now being applied to the PTSD field. It was worth the investment (in my case of time). I highly recommend the volume to readers with a serious interest in the current status of empirical research that is being applied to PTSD, particularly with a biological emphasis. I further recommend sharing it with colleagues. ,It will point toward bridges from the clinical arena of PTSD to a range of neurobiological and behavioral science disciplines. THOMAS
A.
MELLMAN,
M.D.
Miami, FL PI1 SOl63-8343(97)00082-O
450
Current Psychotherapeutic Drugs. By Donald F. Klein and Lewis I’. Rowland. New York, Brunner/Mazel, Inc., 1995 ($39.95) 184 pp. Current Psychotherapeutic Drtlgs is a compendium of brief, generally one-page profiles of pharmacologic agents in psychiatry, collected by Donald F. Klein and Lewis I’. Rowland, with the help of seven contributors. Included are 132 drugs from seven drug classes: stimulants, antidepressants, antimanic agents, sedative-hypnotics, antipsychotics, and antianxiety agents; nonprescription sleep aids and anorexiants are also included. Four to six page introductions to each drug class are provided by wellknown researchers. Material is brief and to the point. As the authors state, this is not a textbook of pharmacology or psychiatry. There are one to two pages of drug listings with well-formatted sections on indications, contraindications, interactions, adverse effects, pharmacokinetics, prolonged use overdosage, and availability. In addition, special precautions, special groups (e.g., pregnancy, breast feeding), and dosing patterns are included. These drug listings are a welcome relief from the ponderous and irrelevant PDR style. Material is focused and pragmatic. It is easy to read and will likely be used at the fingertips of prescribing physicians, nurses, therapists, or students. FDA-approved uses as well as off-label indications are covered. The reader will not be overwhelmed by pharmacokinetics or endless listings of adverse effects. Sections on dosage are clear and descriptions of overdosage provided clinical symptoms and treatment. The book is published in an international edition, including some drugs not available in the US. Though some newly released drugs (e.g., Zyprexa) were not available at the time of publication, the book is to be updated annually. It will likely prove to be a convenient and time-saving reference. WILLIAM
M.
PETRIE,
M.D.
Nashville, Tennessee PI1 SO163-8343(97)00045-5