This single-volume reference covers the full range of psychiatric problems affecting older patients, from depression to dementia. Clinical Manual of Geriatric Psychiatry reviews the effects of aging on cognitive performance, including clinical presentations of memory loss and medication-induced symptoms of mental disorder. It offers practical guidance to help the clinician not only diagnose and treat these conditions but also address such issues as evaluating competency for informed consent.

The book contains guidelines to differential diagnosis of depression and insights on new directions in psychotherapy, a review of both selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and non-SSRIs as first-line agents, and advice on switching or combining antidepressants. Chapters on dementia and Alzheimer's disease offer guidance in cognitive mental status examinations and screening tools and also evaluate psychosocial therapies, such as behavior modification and reminiscence therapy. Coverage of anxiety disorders includes phobias, generalized anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and panic disorder, with a focus on psychosocial-behavior therapy and medications of choice. Throughout the text, the authors explain how working effectively with older adults requires a blending of specialized knowledge with a flexible approach to the patient -- and show how to bring that about in daily practice.