Mood Disorders: A Practical Guide

This practical guide will aid residents and clinicians in diagnosing and treating the full spectrum of mood disorders. Dr. Ghaemi explains how to accurately diagnose depressive and manic symptoms and bipolar disorder and offers specific, detailed, evidence-based recommendations on pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy of acute and refractory unipolar depression, bipolar depression, and mania. Chapters review the pharmacology of antidepressants, mood stabilizers, and antipsychotic agents and point out these drugs' advantages and drawbacks in specific clinical situations. Other chapters address clinical dilemmas such as treating rapid-cycling bipolar disorder, distinguishing unipolar from bipolar depression, and tapering bipolar depressed patients off antidepressants.