Primary Care Psychiatry

Psychiatric disorders are important causes of disability and in developing countries healthcare workers at the primary level are increasingly required to deal with a wide range of psychological problems and psychiatric disorders. Primary Care Psychiatry aims to equip these workers with the basic information they need to identify and manage most of these problems, and offers guidelines on when and how to refer to more specialised levels of care. Now in its second edition, this well-respected text has been updated to include the latest diagnostic criteria from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-5 (TM)). The text follows a problem-based approach, is intended to be practical and accessible, and avoids academic jargon as much as possible. Ample use is made of case vignettes, personal accounts, tables, algorithms and summaries. It enables the reader to quickly grasp the core features of the problem and the priorities of management. The emphasis is on what is relevant to primary healthcare psychiatry in the southern African context, addressing the particular challenges faced by a developing and transforming society with limited financial resources.