A Renaissance of Clinical Psychiatry Through Books Published During the Past Decade

From our regular book review column.

Through a group review of representative books published during the last decade, the author hails a renaissance in clinical psychiatry. This is characterized by renewed interest in psychopathology, focus on discrete mental disorders, sophisticated methodology, greater appreciation of the biological underpinnings of mental phenomena, and integration of traditional psychological approaches within a general medical framework. Although an evolutionary perspective is not yet a dominant theme of the new psychiatry, it is predicted that it will play an increasingly important role in helping the integration of physiology, psychoanalysis, and contemporary psychopathology.