Instant Psychopharmacology: A Guide for the Nonmedical Mental Health Professional

Rating:
Summary: An excellent resource for the mental health professional
Review: Dr. Diamond's pragmatic and commonsense approach is ideal for mental health professionals without (and with!!) a background in psychopharmacology. The book evolved from a handout he gave to nonmedical trainees with whom he worked. It's insightful, based on real clinical situations, and provides what you absolutely need to know plus more in an understandable format.

Rating:
Summary: A must have for a desktop reference!!
Review: I am a school psychologist and with all the prescriptions that we need to know about in order to help students, this has been invaluable. New medications are always coming out and this book was very handy for knowing the side effects, which can be useful if a student is falling asleep in class and it is found that his medication causes drowsiness.

I would definetly recommend this book, I just hope they come out with another so that I can update myself on some of these new prescriptions that were not out at the time it was published!!

Rating:
Summary: Saving lives, one reader at a time.
Review: This book is a lifesaver for my family.
I struggle to keep a family member "on their meds" so they may continue to live independently. This book has explained, in a simple but sufficiently thorough way, things I've needed to know:
1) What the medications prescribed actually do;
2) Side effects of prescribed medications, so I know which complaints I hear about side effects are actually from the meds, or whether other health concerns should be addressed;
3) Relative costs of medications, so I can address complaints about the medications' costs;
4) Alternative medications, and why they might be prescribed;
5) Time lag - some meds may take weeks before they have therapeudic effect, even though the patient taking them experience side effects immediately.
6) Time lag - if a patient decides to stop taking their meds, there is often a period of time between that last pill and relapse.
Meds, even though they are less than perfect (don't we know!!) are still the miracle keeping mentally ill people alive and "at home", figuratively and literally. It is SO easy for the people who need these meds to stop taking them, with absolutely disasterous results.
Although psychiatrists and pharmacists may have had education in this, social workers, family members, and even general practitioners that are on the front lines dealing with this on a daily basis really do have a need to know this material.
I'd give this book a Milky Way's worth of stars if I could.

Rating:
Summary: A Great book for Families, Social Workers, Consumers
Review: We recently had the pleasure of a hosted discussion by Dr. Diamond at our web site.

One person sent me the following review of this book:

The following is an abbreviated version of the original article: Book Review: Instant Psychopharmacology by Ronald J. Diamond, M.D. W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., ISBN 0-393-70269-3 (pbk.).

Dr. Ron Diamond, a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Medical School, as well as the medical director of the Mental Health Clinic of Dane County, recently published a book on psychotropic medications.  Written in a remarkably straightforward manner, this informative handbook is a rare treat.

Indeed, it's quite a resource for psychologists, nurses, and social workers who are often reading and incorporating various sources of data (chart notes, medical histories, etc.) to assist in treatment planning, answering clients' questions and/or communicating with physicians. Students in non-medical mental health fields will also find this book useful, especially the annotated bibliography.  The handbook's bibliography includes web addresses for accessing psychopharmacology information through the Internet.

I would also encourage mental health consumers and their significant others to consult Instant Psychopharmacology. Although it is subtitled, "A guide for the nonmedical mental health professional", the author alternately addresses his colleagues and clients throughout the text.  Diamond achieves an appropriate balance between offering detailed information (dosages and drug profiles) as well as general facts about neurotransmitter systems and how drugs work.  The book's greatest strength is how clearly it's written Chapter One, "Psychopharmacology:  The Rules of the Game", is a must- read for all consumers.

Another strength is how up-to-date it is, in terms of the various types of psychotropic drugs available.  I can also appreciate its usefulness for researchers such as myself, who frequently ask study participants to list the medications they're currently prescribed. 

In this regard, it's extremely helpful to have the appendices which list drugs  by their brand names as well as their generic names.  The book also deals  with the somewhat sensitive topic of  sexual side effects directly and  matter-of-factly.

In summary, Instant Psychopharmacology is a wonderful resource.  I strongly encourage consumers and family members as well as mental health professionals to consult it.

Diane C. Gooding, Ph.D., Chair, Public Education Committee ------ reprinted from The Pioneer, AMI of Dane County, Sept l998 issue