Time and science march on. and thus, a new edition of Psychiatry is now before you. The advances in our field continue at a rapid pace, with an ongoing transformation of our understanding of brain and mental functioning, and the development of ever more sophisticated treatments. We continue to feel tremendous gratitude to our colleagues, whose acceptance of Psychiatry has led to it becoming a leading reference text around the world.
This edition is marked not only by extensive revision of all chapters, and by the addition of many new chapters, but also by a major restructuring of the book. Where before there were seven major sections, there are now nine, reflecting both the expansion of our knowledge base, and what we believe will be a more useful organization of the material.
With all the revising and restructuring though, our philosophical preference continues to emphasize an integrative approach to both understanding psychopathology and providing treatment. And. as always, we hold to the view that the context of our understanding and intervention remains the therapeutic alliance we develop and maintain with our patients.