Abstract
Substance misuse has the potential to destroy lives through its medical and social consequences and is a remarkably prevalent phenomenon. However, substance misuse is often overlooked in public health policy, and the rapidly changing nature of addiction research means that advances in knowledge are slow to translate into changes in clinical practice. This book is a clearly written and thorough synthesis of our current knowledge of addiction psychopharmacology.
The book addresses a wide range of both licit and illicit substances. Chapters 1 and 2 cover the misuse of alcohol and tobacco, respectively, while chapters 3 through to 9 address misuse of opioids, cannabis, stimulants, hypnotics, hallucinogens, inhalants, club drugs and ‘legal highs’. The comprehensive breadth of substances covered is only surpassed by the detail in each chapter, which includes the epidemiology, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of the misused substance as well as the neurobiological mechanisms underlying its addiction and the latest recommendations for pharmacotherapy of both substance withdrawal and relapse prevention. Treatment recommendations are stratified according to patient and disorder subtype so that clinicians are able to personalise the management plan to their patient and clinical setting. Furthermore, each chapter advises on the treatment of relevant psychiatric and medical comorbidities.
This book’s pharmacological recommendations are based on an up-to-date analysis of the existing evidence base; references to primary literature are made throughout and listed at the end of each chapter for ease of access. The quality of the evidence supporting each recommendation is emphasised so that readers are able to assess limitations to our current knowledge base and determine which areas require further research in the future; for instance, it highlighted that there are few published case reports or trials into the pharmacological treatment of marijuana misuse despite marijuana dependence being more common than either cocaine or heroin dependence in the United States.
The importance of non-pharmacological methods of managing substance misuse is also emphasised throughout and addressed more fully in the final chapter of this book, which has sections on brief intervention, motivational interviewing, cognitive-behavioural therapy, behavioural-couples therapy and 12-step facilitation.
In conclusion, this book thoroughly covers the pharmacological management of substance misuse disorders. The clear writing style and coherent structure convey information in an easily understandable format. As such, this book is essential both for mental health professionals dealing with substance misuse disorders and basic scientists interested in the neurobiology of this fascinating field.