Massachusetts General Hospital Psychiatry Update & Board Preparation, Second Edition

Rating:
Summary: The Right Size
Review: After ambitiously planning on reading Kaplan and Sadock before taking the boards, reality set in and I settled on this book. It is in depth enough to serve as the main study text, with reference as necessary to psychopharm or general textbooks as the need arises. If you learned during your residency, you only need a brief refresher to illustrate your deficiencies. I'm lazy but managed to make it through this book twice and I passed.

Rating:
Summary: The Best Review Book
Review: I used this book (1st edition) for both Part I & II of my board preparation. Simply the best book available in the market!!!!!

Rating:
Summary: not enough
Review: Pros: You can use it as a broad guideline to prepare for Part I/PRITE but it has to be supplanted by the synopsis or other texts. Solid info on major DSM d/o, psychopathology, psychopharm, CL psychiatry, special populations, health-care delivery, risk issues and neurology.
Cons: The questions are too basic and short-stemmed and do not reflect the complexity of the board questions. Your old PRITE papers will be more helpful for the practice. Some of the figures are questionable and do not tally w/ the major texts. Child and social sciences sections are inadequate and too sketchy. Psychotx sections inadequate and ill-organized for review.

Rating:
Summary: Great resource for psychiatry review & preparing for Boards
Review: This book is REALLY helpful. Each of the 83 chapters gives a comprehensive yet succinct review of a specific topic with an eye towards the "must know" facts. The chapters are grouped into 5 sections: 1) test-taking strategies, 2) psychiatric diagnosis and conditions, 3) neurological disorders, 4) treatments, and 5) special topics in psychiatry. Plus there is a Q & A section with 400 practice questions and answers explained. The psychopharm stuff is thorough and very up-to-date. I especially like the short "Suggested Readings" at the end of each chapter, which has been a great resource for those topics that I wanted to review more thoroughly. The test-taking strategies give great pointers and outline what to expect during the exam, as well as how to avoid common errors. This book is a no-nonsense, nuts-and-bolts practical guide to passing the Psychiatry Boards, and a gold mine for saving time in the process. Overall, an A+++.