Includes bibliographical references (pages 307-313) and index.

The road to diagnosis -- Getting started with the roadmap -- The diagnostic method -- Putting it together -- Coping with uncertainty -- Multiple diagnoses -- Checking up -- Understanding the whole patient -- Physical illness and mental diagnosis -- Diagnosis and the mental status examination -- Diagnosing depression and mania -- Diagnosing anxiety, fear, obsessions, and worry -- Diagnosing psychosis -- Diagnosing problems of memory and thinking -- Diagnosing substance misuse and other addictions -- Diagnosing substance misuse and other addictions -- Diagnosing personality and relationship problems -- Beyond diagnosis: compliance, suicide, violence -- Patients, patients -- Appendix: Diagnostic principles.

This popular practitioner guide and course text takes the reader step by step through diagnostic decision making in mental health. Acclaimed for both the clarity of his writing and his clinical expertise, James Morrison provides principles and decision trees for evaluating information from multiple sources and constructing a valid, clinically useful working diagnosis. More than 100 vivid vignettes--from the straightforward to the toughest cases--illustrate the practical application of these methods. Essential topics include developing a differential diagnosis, dealing with comorbidity; and det.