This concise volume advises primary care physicians on how to recognize, evaluate, and treat common psychiatric and neurologic complaints in patients with medical illness. Patients with these problems used to be referred to specialists, but under the current system of health care they are increasingly being evaluated and treated by internists and family practitioners.
The book contains twelve problem-focused chapters, each written by a specialist faculty member of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine who is experienced in consulting with primary care physicians. The problems discussed are sadness, nervousness, forgetfulness, unrealistic concerns about health, suicidal thoughts, alcoholism and drug dependence, weakness, numbness, back pain, headaches, dizziness, and tremor. Screening evaluations for psychiatric and neurologic disorders are also outlined and explained.
The book is designed to serve as both an introduction and a convenient reference. The authors emphasize improving communication with patients about issues of diagnosis and treatment.