'Psychopharmacology of antipsychotics', by Stephen M. Stahl. Pp iv + 148. Price £12.95. London: Martin Dunitz Publishers, 1999. ISBN 1 85317 601 X.
Stephen Stahl is a well-known and prolific writer on the subject of psychopharmacology. In ‘Psychopharmacology of antipsychotics', he attempts, largely through the use of annotated diagrams, to explain the clinical effects of antipsychotics in the treatment of schizophrenia.
The book consists of eight chapters which fully cover the psychopharmacology of schizophrenoia from transmitter theory to pharmacokinetic interactions. Narrative is limited to an introductory paragraph to each section and complex theories are explained by use of colourful and imaginative figures. It is likely that this book would be of some use to pharmacists beginning practice in psychiatry and to those undertaking postgraduate study in this area.
Several criticisms should be noted. The book is written by an American, presumably for Americans, and there seems to have been no attempt made to make the text more internationally relevant (American trade names are cited; amisulpride is not mentioned). In addition, the diagrams are rather confusing in places and make some theories harder to understand than they would have been without a diagram. Unproven biochemical theories are frequently presented as fact when, in reality, such theries are flimsy at best. Some of the clinical advice given is also arguable and a good deal of it could not be said to be evidence-based.
Overall, ‘Psychopharmacology of antipsychotics' is a concise and reasonably presented overview of the drug treatment of schizophrenia, but it is rather let down by a less than fastidious approach in some respects.
Reviewer - David Taylor is chief pharmacist at the South London and Maudsley NHS trust and honorary senior lecturer at the Institute of Psychiatry