Massachusetts General Hospital Psychiatry Update & Board Preparation, Second Edition [Paperback]

Theodore A. Stern (Author), John B. Herman (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0071410007 | ISBN-13: 978-0071410007 | Publication Date: September 11, 2003 | Edition: 2

The best board preparation and review - from the premier center of psychiatry education, research, and treatment. A concise and accessible book for course review and board certification and recertification. Features a bulleted approach to all techniques for diagnosis and treatment and board-style questions with detailed answers.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

From Massachusetts General Hospital—ranked #1 Department of Psychiatry, 8 years running. One of the world’s leading centers for psychiatry education, research, and treatment—comes this unrivaled, complete overview of the field of psychiatry.

Designed as a study aid for board certification and recertification exams, licensing or in-service exams, CME, or as a clinical refresher, Massachusetts General Hospital Psychiatry Update and Board Preparation combines review material with a Q&A format—and gives you the latest information in the field, using the most recent DSM-IV terminology.

Over 500 board-style questions with annotated answers.

With in-depth coverage that ranges from neuroanatomy and psychopathology to therapeutics, to group therapy and imaging, the book is designed to meet the curriculum requirements of the National Board of Medical Examiners and the American Board of Psychiatry & Neurology. It considers the full spectrum of both psychiatric and neurological disorders, including:
* Neuromuscular Disease
* Seizures
* Stroke and TIA
* Dementia
* Sleep Disorders
* Mental Retardation
* Eating Disorders
* Disturbances of Mood and Anxiety
* Behavioral Disturbances
* Neuropsychiatric Disturbances
* And many others

This unique skill- and knowledge-building tool also gives you a thorough look at topics of special interest, such as medicolegal issues in medical practice, the violent patient, HIV disease, psychosexual disorders, suicide, substance use and abuse, mood/mental disorders and the reproductive cycle, child and geriatric psychiatry, and end-of-life care. What’s more, it also provides step-by-step guidelines for the administration of psychopharmacologic drugs and the management of their reactions.

NEW IN THIS EDITION
* Additional coverage of the pediatric and adolescent patient
* Additional self-test questions for certification and recertification
* New psychopharmacological advances in every chapter

About the Author

Theodore A. Stern, M.D. Associate Professor of Psychiatry Harvard Medical School Chief, Psychiatry Consultation Service Massachusetts General Hospital Boston, MA John Herman, M.D. Associate Professor of Psychiatry Harvard Medical School Director of General Psychiatry Residency Training Massachusetts General Hospital Boston, MA

Product Details

• Paperback: 678 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill Professional; 2 edition (September 11, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0071410007
• ISBN-13: 978-0071410007
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.5 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #262,619 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great resource for psychiatry review & preparing for Boards, October 4, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Massachusetts General Hospital Psychiatry Update & Board Preparation, Second Edition (Paperback)

This book is REALLY helpful. Each of the 83 chapters gives a comprehensive yet succinct review of a specific topic with an eye towards the "must know" facts. The chapters are grouped into 5 sections: 1) test-taking strategies, 2) psychiatric diagnosis and conditions, 3) neurological disorders, 4) treatments, and 5) special topics in psychiatry. Plus there is a Q & A section with 400 practice questions and answers explained. The psychopharm stuff is thorough and very up-to-date. I especially like the short "Suggested Readings" at the end of each chapter, which has been a great resource for those topics that I wanted to review more thoroughly. The test-taking strategies give great pointers and outline what to expect during the exam, as well as how to avoid common errors. This book is a no-nonsense, nuts-and-bolts practical guide to passing the Psychiatry Boards, and a gold mine for saving time in the process. Overall, an A+++.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars like reading the phone book, July 29, 2006

By 

Aaron (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Massachusetts General Hospital Psychiatry Update & Board Preparation, Second Edition (Paperback)

I bought this book to brush up for my 10 year board recertification exam and, after the exam, I would say I have mixed feelings about having used it. First, if you are someone who believes that studying the material of your chosen profession should be a slightly rewarding experience, I suggest you look elsewhere. Reading through this book is about as engaging as reading the phonebook, with the crucial difference that in many towns you would get through the phonebook faster. The chapters are typically written in outline form and are quite dry. Unlike other books, each chapter is not followed by review questions (which can break up the reading experience). Instead, the 400 review questions are left for the back of the book. This also means that it is tricky to use the questions as a way of learning which chapters you need to read more carefully as they don't obviously map to the chapters.

A few years since its publication, the book is already slightly out of date, if only in emphasis. For example, a full 5% of the 200 questions on the test (yes, I counted) related to the use of buprenorphine, naltrexone, naloxone, and acamprosate in the management of substance abuse disorders. These treatments, which were newer when the book was published, get scant attention here. In addition, the test at the back of the book contains many K-questions, those often perplexing multiple-multiple choice questions, but they are (thankfully) no longer used in the actual exam.

Nevertheless, reading this book, painful as it was, did help, and I am sure that I got a number of questions right that I would otherwise have missed. As recertification is still new, I expect that there will be better books coming out soon. I would recommend looking for them.

9 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Right Size, October 8, 2004

By 

happy boy "freddy" (Louisville, ky) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Massachusetts General Hospital Psychiatry Update & Board Preparation, Second Edition (Paperback)

After ambitiously planning on reading Kaplan and Sadock before taking the boards, reality set in and I settled on this book. It is in depth enough to serve as the main study text, with reference as necessary to psychopharm or general textbooks as the need arises. If you learned during your residency, you only need a brief refresher to illustrate your deficiencies. I'm lazy but managed to make it through this book twice and I passed.