Brian E. Leonard - Böcker

Treatment with drugs is fundamental to modern therapy of psychiatric disorders. The number of disorders responsive to drug treatment is increasing, reflecting the extensive synthesis of novel compounds and the greater understanding of the aetiology of the disorders. This third edition provides new and updated material, including an additional chapter on clinical trials and their importance in assessing the efficacy and safety of psychotropic drugs. As molecular biology and imaging techniques are of increasing importance to basic and clinical neuroscience, these areas have also been extended to illustrate their relevance to our understanding of psychopharmacology.This book is essential reading for undergraduates in pharmacology and the neurosciences, postgraduate neuropharmacologists, psychiatrists in training and in practice and medical researchers.Reviews of the Second Edition"…this text is eminently readable, well researched, and probably the best of its kind.The book is well worth buying and anyone who claims to know anything about psychopharmacology will be expected to have a heavily annotated copy." Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine"…[this is] a very good book, especially suited to those interested in psychopharmacologic research and psychiatric residency in training." Journal of Chemical Neuroanatomy

Important clinical issues as the outcome of long term treatment with antidepressants, the time of onset of the antidepressant response and the limitations of the antidepressants currently available are covered in this monograph. Leading researchers in the area of clinical and experimental psychopharmacology critically assess the progress in their specialist fields. The mechanisms of action of antidepressants are considered, followed by clinical research into the role of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and the immune system in the biology of depression and in response to treatment. The final chapter deals with the important chemical entities now undergoing development as antidepressants. The purpose of this monograph is not only to inform but also to stimulate research into the biology of depression and the mechanisms behind the action of effective antidepressants. This monograph is of interest to psychiatrists, psychologists, pharmacologists, neuroscientists and endocrinologists.