Ben Kaplan's book is not only useful and valuable, but enjoyable. This is something every college seeker should go through. Also read Norman Thomas Remick's "West Point" for a surprising (and enjoyable) eye-opener on what the full-scholarship West Point is really about. As a teacher and board member, I recommend both books. That's my best advice.

I just finished reading the Scholarship Scouting Report, and I found it amazing! Not only does Ben Kaplan explain the top scholarships, he makes reading about them fun. (Just reading the sample scholarship essays from past winners makes this book enjoyable.) Ben Kaplan also puts his own personal touch on this book, with his lively comments. It's truly motivating -- unlike any other scholarship book I've read.

Ecxcellent review for both, Neurology and Psychiatry boards!

This is the most useful and concise guide to psychopharmacology I have come across. I recommend all our residents have it on hand. It is reasonably priced, so it is no problem to replace as new editions become available. It is user-friendly, clinically applicable, and an enormously helpful resource in studying for the written boards. It would also be a useful guide for non-psychiatrist physicians.

Brief book without the usual long ancedotal and long explanations. It's right on the mark, made sense and is easy to comprehend, without any legal experience. But if a lawyer is required, I'd contact Mr. Benjamin, a no-nonsense, straight-forward "tell it like it is" person.

This a very comprehensive textbook (even though it says synopsis) of psychiatry. I have heard it is great preparation for the psych boards. However, it is quite dry and at times dense and difficult to read. A great book but I wish it was easier to read.

I purchased this book when it was the 7th edition, and own both 7th and 8th. I can say that as a student of medicine, this book may be overkill for some people, however, I find it to be the best "complete" text out there. With chapters on neuro A&P, DSM-IV clinical disorders, individual pharmacological agents, and even child psychiatry, it's all one needs to learn medical psychiatry. My only advice is for someone who isn't a student of clinical medicine or a medical professional, you might find it a difficult read.

This is a superb book for both the psychiatric and mental health prfessional reader and for the general public. It is well-written, thoroughly referenced and totally up-to-date. With the revolution in drug treament the authors provide a comprehensive survey of all drugs used in psychiatry. They also cover the psychodynamic concepts of Freud, Jung, Erikson and other theorists. This book is a must for anyone interested in this field.

I got this book and a few others off Amazon a few weeks ago, and this book was clearly the best. It wasn't even close. The other books on scholarships I bought didn't offer much advice beyond common sense. But this book is full of strategies, tactics, tips, and advice that is really useful. Plus, the book's scholarship directory gave me bunches of scholarships to apply for right away (none of those obscure scholarships no one can apply for). How To Go To College Almost For Free should be on the shelf of any prospective college student.

I can't say enough good things about this book. What I like best about it is that its useful no matter how much time you have left until a scholarship application is due. As a high school senior, I have some applications due in a couple weeks, some due in a couple months, and others I'll apply for when I'm in college. The author shows you how to package you application in a short amount of time for those coming deadlines, expand upon what you've done for those medium-term deadlines, and employ "content strategies" to position yourself for those long-term applications. This book is a really, really good starting point for any student serious about winning scholarships.

I'm a college student who doesn't qaulify for a lot of financial aid from my school, so I've basically seen every type of scholarship book out there. I can tell you that "How to Go to College Almost for Free" is the ONLY scholarship book you need to get. The book has everything you need, including how to find scholarships, how to fill out winning applications, and how to avoid the common pitfalls. Before I got this book I thought I was going to have to take a term off from school to earn money. But after following its step by step instructions, I won 4 scholarships in a matter of months and not only paid for my tuition but had money left over to cover my books and fees.

I'm starting a psychiatry residency after being a general practice doc, and want to get up to speed before beginning. This book is in outline format and covers a LOT of material very briefly--which is fine. But it's full of typos, some of which change the meaning of sentences in important ways! And the numerous tables are done in a font so small that even with good eyes I have trouble reading them. To me this is a good book to review for the psych part of the boards, or for a medical student on psych rotation.

The sectional layout of this edition follows that of the huge comprehensive textbook of psychiatry. However, information is relevant and pertinent to medical students and practicing residents. Although, a bit light on psychotherapeutic treatments it is good on topics of definitions, epidemilogy and psychotropics. Good tables and figures throughout.

Good in terms of what it is marketed as... a handbook. Go to the Synopsis or Comprehensive textbooks for fuller understanding.

I GO TO GUYS ANS ST. THOMAS MEDICAL SCHOOL IN LONDON. I AM DOING PSYCHIATRY RIGHT NOW AND FOUND THIS AMERICAN BOOK MOST HELPFUL. AMERICAN BOOKS GIVE AN ANGLE THAT I FIND BRITSH BOOKS SOMETIMES DONT GIVE. IT IS A GREAT BOOK FOR THE UNDERGRADUATE MED STUDENT STARTING OUT IN PSYCHIATRY ROTATION. I URGE ALL MY BRITISH MED STUDENTS TO BUY THIS BOOK.

Kaplan and Sadock have continued their proud tradition in this update of their classic work. This is the primer of mental health and it provides student and clinician with the required basics for understanding the workings of the human mind.

It is a required edition in every clinician's library.

I first purchased the 6th edition of CTP a few years back, and new I had to keep up with this exciting title. The 6th edition deserved 5 stars, however, this latest edition has a few mistakes and isn't put together well at all. Overall, the 7th edition is a great book and necessary for students of psychiatry and possibly other disciplines; There are new topics, new medications, and new pictures/diagrams, however, the biggest problem is how the disorders are presented. In the 6th edition, one could simply turn to page 1236 for GAD and all biological, anatomical, psychodynamic, and treatment concerns. In the 7th edition the chapters are split into categories, so if you want to look up GAD your stuck reading the whole anxiety section to find the information. Very bad for reference. I've found several spelling errors and scientific errors as well. If this is just another book to add to your library and your well educated enough to pick up mistakes then it's okay, otherwise I'd wait to see what the 8th edition of CTP brings.

As the title says, this is an extremely comprehensive and up to date text containing all you ever wanted to know (plus things you never knew existed) about psychiatry - from its historical roots, biological, psychological and social determinants, medications, psychiatric sub-specialties, plus other detailed information about topics that are often not even mentioned in similar psychiatric texts.

Consequently this is a very lengthy tome and one might find onseself having to sift through a lot of information to reach the specific information that is being sought. All opinions and current research on a topic is broadly covered in a well-balanced manner. As with all "comprehensive" texts, information tends to be repeated (and sometimes fragmented) in multiple sections and this can be frustrating when one is trying to gather all the information on a given topic (which does not fall under one of the multiple headings).

...But modern information technology to the rescue with the CD-ROM version. The interface is very flexible and configurable with a powerful search engine for the complete text, images & medications contained within; there is the ability to highlight (in user defined colours) & annotate text; one can even edit, rewrite, format, cut & paste text and images in a way akin to a "lite" edition of MS Word... If you have plenty of printer toner and reams of paper, you could even print YOUR VERY OWN edition of this Comprehensive Textbook of Psychiatry (for private use only of course!)

I am unclear why, but the significant advantage of being able to fully manipulate the contents and rapidly search the CD-ROM version (as opposed to the bulky 2 volumes book set) is not heavily promoted by the publisher (their technical support team were not even able to confirm if this version could be edited when I rang them). This would have been a big selling point in my opinion.

Final comment - very pricey text (moreso when you know how much CD-ROM media costs) - however not many other options available of the same calibre. Definitely a specialist reference, and probably worth the money if you're in the mental health profession or undergoing post-graduate studies in this field.

This is the established text, periodically updated, on psychiatry - history, pathophysiology, treatment, etc. An essential desk companion for clinicians (and laypersons).