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Men born to distinction do not always develop it in their homeland. Sometimes trans­ plantation taps routes to hidden sources of concern for the embracing of novel con­ cepts or the clarification of man's behavior, illuminating this understanding in the lan­ guage of their adopted tongue. Such a one was Joseph Conrad, the Polish sailor whose new vision graced our literature long after his death in 1924. Such a one also is the author this book, who was born in that same year to carryon his country's vigor and resourcefulness in our time. He is numbered among those distinguished emigres whose contributions to our culture and progress emanated from the trials and tribulations of the political upheavals, persecutions, and wars of Europe. Like many others, he has brought sound traditions and learning from his native land to enhance the new and less developed of what was only recently a frontier land. Watersheds in world events impose themselves willy-nilly on our lives. One such time was 1946, when the author of this book left his native land and set out for the West. He spent six months in London learning English and then moved to Ireland, where he trained in medicine and also absorbed novel ways and a new culture, includ­ ing the writings of Swift and Joyce. This young medical graduate's potential was soon recognized by his teacher in neurology at Belfast, who with foresight predicted great accomplishment.

This condensed version of The American Psychiatric Publishing Textbook of Psychosomatic Medicine focuses on psychiatric care for medically ill patients. Essentials of Psychosomatic Medicine presents that portion of the larger work devoted to specific disorders, enabling the practitioner to assist patients with comorbid psychiatric and general medical illnesses complicating each other's management. Each chapter covers epidemiology, psychological factors affecting specific diseases, the effects those diseases have on mental health, diagnostic issues, and treatment, including psychotherapy, psychopharmacology, psychiatric side effects of drugs for medical conditions, and drug interactions relevant to the diseases covered.More succinct than the Textbook while offering broader coverage than most other books on psychiatric care of medical patients, Essentials first guides users through general principles in evaluation and management and then offers, in concise form, all 18 specialty chapters from the Textbook, updated for this edition. All of the medical specialties are covered, including the internal medicine subspecialties, neurology, surgery, ob-gyn, organ transplantation, pediatrics, dermatology, physical medicine, and pain management. Each chapter ends with multiple-choice questions for self-assessment. Among the range of issues taken up are • Depression as a major factor affecting medical outcomes in coronary artery disease, diabetes, and other diseases.• Neuropsychiatric presentations of endocrine, rheumatologic, and infectious diseases.• Controversies surrounding functional disorders like irritable bowel syndrome, fibromyalgia, and chronic fatigue syndrome.• Psychiatric complications of medical treatments like chemotherapy, implanted defibrillators, and immunosuppression.• Psychological factors affecting medical compliance and surgical results.• Special considerations in using psychiatric drugs in the medically ill. Today's psychiatrists are increasingly called upon to help diagnose, understand, and manage a wide array of conditions in order to address the needs of both the patient and the medical-surgical team. Concise yet comprehensive, Essentials of Psychosomatic Medicine stands at the interface of psychiatry and medicine to help them better meet those needs.