Substance abuse is the nation's number one health problem, and also a major health problem worldwide. In the United States, less than half of those in need of treatment actually receive it—both due to the reluctance of insurance companies to cover this treatment and of patients to seek it.

     Like previous editions from 1994 and 1999, this comprehensive third edition reflects the still-growing commitment of psychiatry to addressing the problem of substance abuse. Fully updated and divided into seven main parts, this invaluable textbook offers a depth and scope unparalleled in the literature. The 94 distinguished contributors discuss the latest basic and clinical perspectives on:

• The nature of addiction and the process by which a person becomes addicted—The neurobiology of alcohol, opiates/opioids, stimulants, hallucinogens, marijuana, epidemiology of drug dependence, genetics (using the patient's genetic profile to customize treatment), principles of operant conditioning and social learning, and cross-cultural aspects
   
• An overview of available treatments—Assessment, patient placement criteria (especially challenging in today's era of managed care), current research with the best empirical support in the treatment of alcohol problems, treatment outcomes (the extent of remission and degrees of improvement over time rather than "cure versus failure")
   
• Treatment and detoxification of specific drugs of abuse—alcohol, marijuana, stimulants, hallucinogens, tobacco, sedative-hypnotics, inhalants, steroids, opioids, and drugs from the "club" scene
   
• Treatment approaches—The flexible psychodynamic approach; network therapy; cognitive, behavioral, and motivational therapies; individual psychotherapy and counseling; the wide variety of group therapies (the treatment of choice for addiction); family therapy; the latest findings on AA and other 12-step groups; and inpatient treatment and research
   
• Special approaches and treatment programs—The challenges and efficacy of employee assistance programs, the role of the community in treatment and specific nonhospital-based treatment services, and therapeutic communities
   
• Special populations—Adolescents, ethnic minorities (nonhomogeneous groups), the elderly, and women (with implications for perinatal complications); impaired physicians, treatment of substance-abuse patients with pain, HIV/AIDS, and Axis I psychiatric disorders
   
• Special Topics—Diagnostic testing, medical education, prevention of alcohol problems, and forensic issues

     Thoroughly indexed and generously illustrated, this new edition is designed for clinicians, researchers, and trainees in psychiatry, general medicine, and other health professions. This remarkable volume is simply the definitive resource for any health care professional concerned with the problems posed by substance abuse.