This seventh edition of Psychiatric Dictionary is the most extensive revision of the work to date. This edition includes the new terms and diagnostic criteria of the recently revised fourth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of the American Psychiatric Association. In addition, it reflects the advances in neurobiology and neuroimaging that mark the "Decade of the Brain.".

During the past decade, outcome studies of different forms of psychotherapy lay the groundwork for the development of differential therapeutics. The new edition takes note of the growing emphasis on brief therapy even as it tries to capture the essence of recent developments in self-psychology and in the object relations school of psychoanalysis. More than 2200 entries of the seventh edition are new, constituting 18% of the total.

Many of the entries from previous editions have been revised to include recent discoveries about the mechanisms or disorders they describe. Others have been eliminated or considerably reduced in size, and some have been retained only because of historical interest. As in previous editions, the more important terms are often given encyclopedic treatment. Cross-references are used to guide the reader to a core concept and also to suggest relationships or parallels between different models.

In selecting terms for inclusion (and exclusion), and in deciding which terms merit more than a single sentence or two, the editor has tried to meet a goal of making the language of the field understandable not only to those who use it every day, but also to those who work primarily in other fields. In addition to those already noted, there are new or extensively revised entries in the following topical areas: use and misuse of alcohol and other substances; newer psychopharmacological agents and new uses of older drugs; psychology and social work; genetics; cognitive disorders (dementias, deliria, and amnesiae) and other diagnostic entities recognized by DSM-IV; structure and functions of the neuron; information processing; language acquisition; and health law and forensic psychiatry.

As an authoritative reference that offers encyclopedic, up-to-date coverage of all areas of psychiatric interest, this new edition will be welcomed by all professionals and students in the field of mental health.