Kaplan and Sadock's Comprehensive Text book of Psychiatry considered being “University without walls” is the eighth edition to appear in the span of 38 years since the first edition. It is an encyclopedic compendium of psychiatric knowledge contained in 55 Chapters. Every new edition has helped educate generations of psychiatrists and mental health professionals. More than 50 new sections have been written in genetics, neural and psychological sciences; clinical, geriatric and child psychiatry.
The psychopharmacological sections are all updated. A section on “End of life and Palliative Care appears for the first time to reflect editor's continued call for psychiatrists to involve themselves in clinical subspecialty of palliative care and pain control which is now an interdisciplinary speciality. Another special section on “the impact of terrorism on children has been written to deal with the psychological effects of Sept. 11, 2001 and other acts of terror on this vulnerable population. Case histories are used extensively to add clarity to the clinical disorders which would help the reader immensely.
Psychiatric disorders discussed in the text are consistent with the nosolgy in DSM-1V-TR which is a diagnostic and statistical manual. The text book includes tables comparing both DSM-IV-TR and ICD 10 through out. Comprehensive glossary of psychiatry and psychology provides written definition for psychiatrists, physicians, psychologists, students, mental health professionals and general public. This comprehensive text book provides multiple approaches to the teaching, study and learning of psychiatry that cannot be compared to any other text book, a must for all institutions, teachers, student and mental health professionals.