This new Oxford Textbook will become the definitive source for all psychiatrists and trainees. It covers all areas of general psychiatry in depth, and includes sections on each of the subspecialties (for example child psychiatry and forensic psychiatry). It is designed to be used by those in higher training, for continuing education and reaccreditation, and as a specialists' reference. The textbook has been planned with the three themes of contemporary psychiatry in mind. First, the subject has become more unified: there are no longer competing theoretical schools; the biological and psychosocial models have been largely reconciled; and the scientific and clinical points of view have been brought together in an evidence-based approach. The second theme is the importance of the social context in which psychiatry is practised, particularly as this takes place increasingly in the community. Thirdly, the practice of psychiatry is becoming increasingly similar in different countries; this book takes a worldwide approach with expert contributions from many countries. Accounts of clinical practice are linked to the underlying science, and to the evidence for the efficacy of treatments. Physical and psychological treatments, including psychodynamic approaches, are covered in depth. The history of psychiatry, ethics, public health aspects and public attitudes to psychiatry and to patients, are all given due attention. The book opens with a subject that is central to the editors' view of the practice of psychiatry: the patient's experience of psychiatric illness. With the publication of this comprehensive Oxford Textbook, Oxford University Press now publishes an integrated set of psychiatry texts offering a high-quality text for every level of training. Medical students will find that Psychiatry (An Oxford Core Text) provides them with exactly the information they need. Trainees will continue to find in the (current) Oxford Textbook of Psychiatry an ideal grounding in clinical psychiatry which will be particularly appropriate for postgraduate examinations. The New Oxford Textbook of Psychiatry completes the trinity with a truly international, comprehensive, and scientifically based reference work which every practising psychiatrist will want to have available.