American Psychiatric Press Practice Guidelines for the Treatment of Psychiatric Disorders: Compendium 2000

From our regular book review column.

The time was 6:00 a.m.; I was in my office working on a report with a deadline, and my telephone was ringing—the inside line. Only a select few in the hospital know that number, most of whom would be bearing bad news. With some trepidation, I lifted the cradle and was greeted by the somber tones of the hospital’s general counsel. After the usual pleasantries, he got to the point: "I don’ t have bad news for you, so relax. I need a reference that will give me a notion as to guidelines for appropriate treatment of mental disorders."