This book presents the basic science foundation for psychopharmacology. Each chapter begins with a succinct history of the specific area, followed by a discussion of the pharmacology, clinical use, and side effects of the drugs under consideration. Areas discussed include schizophrenia, depression, and mania, each with a balanced presentation of the efficacy of pharmacological agents in their treatment. The pharmacology section consists of brief but useful statements about the mechanism of action, pharmacokinetics, and metabolism of each drug class. The chapter on special topics deals with geriatric and pediatric psychopharmacology in an introductory rather than in-depth manner. This is a lucid, compact, pragmatic, and authoritative guide to the safe, effective, and economical prescription of psychotropic drugs in psychiatric pharmacotherapy.