Abstract
Bloch and Singh have brought out a third edition of their undergraduate textbook, Foundations of clinical psychiatry. Aimed at medical students, allied health workers and general practitioners, this book has the difficult task of conveying the unique approach of psychiatry as well as providing a clear overview of mental illness and its treatment. It does this well. The use of case vignettes really highlights the important concepts while giving the sense that they apply to real people. Stories are a great way to learn and the story of Van Gogh is truly engrossing.
The all important chapter on the psychiatric interview and mental state examination is excellent. The interview is often an intimidating part of psychiatry for the new student, and this was addressed by pointing out that we all have had interactions with countless people and therefore all have experience from which to draw. It gives good advice on managing difficult interviews. I particularly liked the straightforward approach to phenomenology, without lists of historical terms that are likely to confuse rather than enlighten. It also has video clips online to illustrate examples of the phenomenology.
A student textbook needs to keep focussed on its purpose and its target audience and at times the book loses this focus. Frequent references to Anglo-European history, philosophy and literature may be interesting, but run the risk of making many time-poor students tune out. This edition, as with the previous one, can be wordy and many chapters would have benefited from tougher editing. This book has different authors writing each chapter and while this can mean that chapters get written by experts in their field, it can also mean that things get repetitive at times. Some concepts and parts of history are repeated, even within the same chapter. There are times when less is more and I would have been really impressed if this edition was shorter than the last.
Some topics did focus on more pragmatic matters and the chapters on the role of general practitioners and suicide risk assessment are very relevant to the roles that students are likely to play in real life. The chapters on refugee and indigenous mental health show how important psychiatry is in the broader issues of policy, and perhaps might even inspire students to get involved. I found the absence of lists of DSM-IV criteria to be a real strength.
It takes a solid investment of time to get the most out of Bloch and Singh's textbook. It will appeal to students who are interested in psychiatry and the arts. Students who are working as well as studying, who want to get a quick grasp of psychiatry, might find it difficult to access the information they need. It is, however, an impressive text that paints an accurate picture of psychiatry's holistic view; and perhaps, therefore, a picture of what many of us love about it.