Clinical Laboratory Medicine for Mental Health Professionals

A revised, abridged version of the seminal work, Laboratory Medicine in Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, Clinical Laboratory Medicine for Mental Health Professionals more directly addresses the needs of general psychiatrists and their mental health colleagues in clinical practice.

Sections on laboratory tests, diseases and conditions, and psychotropic medications include alphabetically arranged entries, making it easy for busy clinicians to reference the updated information. For each laboratory test, the following information is provided: – The type of test (e.g., blood, urine, etc.)- An explanation of the test- The test’s relevance to psychiatry- Patient preparation- Medical and psychiatric indications for the test- Numerical reference ranges- Critical values for test results- The potential meaning of abnormal results (e.g., factors that lead to increased or decreased levels)- Interfering factors- Cross-references to other tests or conditions

Information on clinical diagnosis and laboratory testing is provided for diseases and conditions, and psychotropic medications are examined from both a screening and a monitoring standpoint. This reference includes an appendix featuring therapeutic and toxic psychotropic drug levels, a quick guide to ECG interpretation, and figures to help clarify complex processes underlying laboratory test results, such as abnormal liver function tests in hepatotoxic and cholestatic drug reactions, elevations in conjugated vs. unconjugated bilirubin, and the basis of osmolality and sodium abnormalities in the syndrome of inappropriate ADH secretion.

Years of clinical practice and research inform both the choice of tests included and the rationale for their use, making Clinical Laboratory Medicine for Mental Health Professionals the definitive, authoritative reference for psychiatrists and other behavioral health clinicians.