Clinical Laboratory Medicine for Mental Health Professionals

Book excerpt: Laboratory medicine is a complex and changing field, and for the busy clinician, it is difficult to maintain an adequate working knowledge of current concepts and practices in this area -- although this information is essential to excellent patient care. If you as a psychiatrist or behavioral health clinician have found yourself wondering what tests need to be performed before a new medication is initiated, what monitoring is required, or what an out-of-range laboratory value means in the behavioral medicine population, then this book is for you. If you need to remember how to diagnose SIADH or antiphospholipid syndrome or pellagra, or any other behavioral health condition diagnosed wholly or partly by lab testing, then this book is for you. Laboratory Medicine in Psychiatry and Behavioral Science is the only current book of its kind on the market and the only place where psychiatrists and behavioral health clinicians can find content that is directly related to their work. The author's extensive experience in clinical psychiatry and neuropsychiatry informs not only the choice of tests, but also the rationale for their use. Among other notable features, the book: Includes information on 168 different laboratory tests and 124 diseases and conditions Includes a section on laboratory tests pertinent to psychotropic drug initiation and monitoring Includes an appendix with useful algorithms such as "Ten Rules for a Normal ECG" and "Medical Evaluation for ECT." Provides information on what patients can expect and how to prepare for specific lab tests (e.g., the need to fast or to refrain from certain drugs or foods) so that clinicians can inform patients fully in advance of testing Covers current standards of care in monitoring metabolic syndrome and other adverse effects and complications that can arise in psychiatric and behavioral medicine patients Pays careful attention to ease of access, with standard formatting for each section, and with extensive indexing Laboratory Medicine in Psychiatry and Behavioral Science is an indispensible compendium of valuable information on laboratory tests and diseases, and is a reference that clinicians will find themselves consulting frequently.