The American Psychiatric Glossary is the standard reference for definitions, abbreviations, medication names, and legal terms of interest to mental health professionals. It's the most relied upon reference of its kind--the first place to look for quick, concise yet thorough definitions of unfamiliar terms and abbreviations.

Now in its long-awaited eighth edition, this classic resource has been revised and expanded to reflect major changes in the field since the last edition was published in 1994. More than 500 new terms have been added, making the eighth edition of the American Psychiatric Glossary the most complete concise compendium of psychiatric terminology available today. It's an essential desktop reference for practitioners and researchers.

The scope of the American Psychiatric Glossary, Eighth Edition, has been expanded to include new terms from trends, technologies, and advances that are changing the field of psychiatry. Major revisions include

A Medications--A greatly expanded medication table gives brief details on the increased numbers of psychiatric drugs available today, including current names, applications, and areas of intended effectiveness. Also included is information on nontraditional treatments that are growing in popularity, such as St. John's wort, kava-kava, and acupuncture.A Legal terms--This revised and updated section includes a great many terms that reflect the increasingly important role of psychiatry in litigation. These terms will help both practitioners and attorneys understand the precise ways in which these terms relate to psychiatry.

Although standard terms keyed to DSM-IV-TR still form the foundation for the American Psychiatric Glossary, the examples that illustrate the terms have been edited to allow use by a broader audience. As a result, psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, other mental health professionals, researchers, attorneys, and anyone interested in mental health issues will find the eighth edition of the American Psychiatric Glossary an excellent source for quick information.

Narriman C. Shahrokh is Chief Administrative Officer in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of California, Davis in Sacramento, California.

Robert E. Hales, M.D., M.B.A., is Joe P. Tupin Professor and Chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of California, Davis School of Medicine, and Medical Director of the Sacramento County Mental Health Services in Sacramento, California.