Prescriptions for the Mind A Critical View of Contemporary Psychiatry

Prescriptions for the Mind has been revised from its first edition in light of new developments in research and practice over the last 15 years. (These updates involve changes of 50% in the text). The book will be a critical assessment of where psychiatry stands today, as a science, and as a method of treatment. While the text acknowledges the triumphs of psychiatry, it takes a critical view of what is known, what is unknown, and what ideas and practices are most likely to stand the test of time. Its conclusions will be rooted in the principles of evidence-based psychiatry. It shows that both drugs and psychotherapy need to be prescribed with their limitations in mind. The book will combine findings from many disciplines to develop an interactive biopsychosocial model of mental disorders. It will show that a purely biological perspective, as well as a purely psychosocial perspective, can lead to bad treatment choices. Its overall message about mental disorders is to think interactively. These principles are then applied to a wide range of categories of psychopathology (psychoses, mood disorders, PTSD, personality disorders), as well as how they can be applied to the practice of psychiatry, in both pharmacological therapies and psychotherapies.

Joel Paris, MD, was born in New York City, but has spent most of his life in Canada. He obtained an MD from McGill University, where he also trained in psychiatry. Dr. Paris has been a member of the McGill psychiatry department since 1972, and served as Department Chair from 1997 to 2007. Dr. Paris' research interest is in borderline personality disorder. He is an educator who has won awards for his teaching.