The book emphasizes how psychiatry is not only a specialty, but an essential part of general medical practice. It starts with a clear description of psychiatric assessment, followed by brief but comprehensive accounts of all the important disorders, their causes and treatment. It provides an up-to-date and evidence-based approach that integrates the three core elements of psychiatry: biology, psychology and sociology.

Each chapter ends with summary points for revision, and the book includes a series of multiple-choice questions with answers.

"...I found this book useful because of its relative simplicity: I was able to use it to understand the core course content in its simplest terms without getting lost in the enormousness of the speciality."
Barts and The London

Pre-publication reviews

"...an essential read for medical students and mental health trainees"

"...concise, readable...altogether a much better read than the usual dense texts of psychiatry,"

"...the chapter on the clinical appraisal of patients is excellent. I will use it in exams as well as in the clinic"