remedied some of this deficiency. The authors alsodeserve kudos for including a discussion of thedefense mechanisms, refreshingly from a develop-mental perspective as opposed to the mildly deroga-tory tone often employed.

The book’s palatable size meant a number of topics(including molecular genetics) were rationed. Thenext edition of this book may benefit from a list ofrelevant websites for keeners. For now, I would

recommend this book to anyone hungry for thebasics.

BIENCA LAU

Psychiatry ResidentUniversity of Saskatchewan, Canada

Published online in Wiley InterScience(www.interscience.wiley.com).

DOI: 10.1002/gps.910

Handbook of Geriatric Psychopharmacology. SandraA. Jacobson, Ronald W. Pies and David J. Greenblatt.American Psychiatric Press, Washington, DC, 2002.Pages: 445. Prices: £45.50.

This American handbook will be of use to anyonewho is involved in the management of psychiatricconditions in the elderly. From students of nursing,pharmacy and medicine to senior professionals, thereis something for everyone. Since the book is compre-hensively indexed, the reader can utilise it as a‘dip-in’ reference text.

The book is comprised of individual chapters andsubsections detailing the management of conditionssuch as depression, dementia and psychosis in theelderly. It also includes brief monographs of the med-icines used in the management of these conditions.However, some of the recommended drugs are unli-censed in the UK (and presumably other countries)for the uses described, but this is not made clear inthe text. It would be a useful addition to includelicensed indications in various countries, giving thebook a more international context.

In terms of content, each treatment section includesdetails of evidence-based practice (which serves to

highlight the dearth of evidence currently availablefor this age group) as well as ‘clinical pearls’described from the author’s own practice. Thesepearls of wisdom, ranging from the expected to thecompletely unexpected, offer a useful second opinionwhen considering difficult clinical problems. It is wellreferenced to allow the reader to obtain primarysources of information as required.

This book is written and presented in a sensible andlogical way so that it will be easy to use in day-to-daypractice and should be available to professionalsworking in this clinical speciality. Hopefully, futureeditions will reflect an increase in the evidence baseand less reliance on ‘clinical pearls’.

CHRISTOPHER SULLIVANSenior Pharmacist, Mental Health

Wythenshawe HospitalSouthmoor RoadManchester, UK

Published online in Wiley InterScience(www.interscience.wiley.com).

DOI: 10.1002/gps.914

Assertive Outreach in Mental Health: A Manual forPractitioners. T. Burns and M. Firn. Oxford Univer-sity Press, Oxford, 2002. Pagess: 345. Prices: £24.50.

This detailed account of assertive community treat-ment (ACT) in general, and assertive outreach teamsin particular, may contain little or no direct referenceto older patients but still merits serious considerationby Old Age Psychiatrists (OAPs). Part I (ConceptualIssues) explores a focus on treatment of patients withpsychotic illness, fluctuating mental state/social func-tioning and poor compliance with prescribed treat-

ment. Although the word ‘dementia’ does not figurethe potential comparisons are clear. A history of poorengagement with services/poor relationships andsevere consequences of relapse is taken to justifymaintenance of regular and frequent contact withdue regard paid to such prosaic issues as daily super-vised drug treatment.

Once OAPs get over drooling at the levels ofresource involved there is much in Part II (Healthand Social Care Practice) to interest all members ofcommunity mental health teams for the elderly(CMHTEs). The nuances of work with a range of

Copyright # 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Int J Geriatr Psychiatry 2003; 18: 858–860.

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