Focusing on what psychiatric nurses actually do in everyday practice, this full-color text covers all of the most common disorders and treatments. A balanced nursing-medical approach includes a strong emphasis on the nursing process, DSM-IV-TR diagnostic criteria, and interdisciplinary interventions. This book offers an approach that is clear, straightforward, and holistic to boost confidence in managing clients and to help students prepare for success on the NCLEX® examination.

Clinical Alert boxes address issues critical to the safety or well-being of the client. Client and Family Teaching Guidelines boxes discuss the issues confronting families when a member suffers from mental illness. Nursing Assessment Questions boxes include questions that should be asked in the assessment of a particular disorder. Case studies depict effective nursing care strategies and encourage critical thinking. Nursing Care Plans provide guidelines for care, with each plan including a brief case study, followed by assessment, diagnosis, goal setting, interventions with rationales, and evaluation. Clinical Symptoms boxes make it easy for students to apply content to the real world. DSM-IV-TR Criteria boxes list categories of mental disorders and the criteria for diagnosing them. Additional Treatment Modalities boxes summarize other modalities and interventions used in conjunction with nursing interventions in the treatment of a particular disorder. Objectives and key terms open each chapter, emphasizing the most important concepts. Chapter summaries conclude each chapter with the most significant ideas to remember. A glossary provides concise definitions of key terms. A Neurobiology in Mental Health and Disorder chapter covers basic neuroanatomy as well as the psychobiological aspects of psychiatric disorders. A Complementary and Alternative Therapies chapter introduces current therapies used in the treatment of physiological and psychological health problems and demonstrates the nurse's role in providing holistic nursing care.

New Somatoform, Factitious, and Dissociative Disorders and Sleep Disorders chapters cover these increasingly diagnosed disorders and describe the nurse's role in treatment. Medication Key Facts boxes summarize the most common psychopharmacologic interventions and discuss safe and effective use. Research for Evidence-Based Practice boxes discuss implications of current research studies. Nursing Outcomes Classification (NOC) and Nursing Interventions Classification (NIC) labels are identified for each nursing diagnosis in all nursing care plans. Review questions for the NCLEX examination reinforce the content in each chapter. A NEW companion CD includes: Interactive Exercises with memory match, quiz show, and hangman activities to ensure comprehension. Neurology Review with state-of-the-art, narrated animations. 150 review questions to prepare students for the NCLEX examination. Audio Glossary of 150 terms with definitions and pronunciations.