Maudsley Prescribing Guidelines
The Maudsley Prescribing Guidelines refer to the title of a reference book for health professionals. The guide contains clinical information regarding various topics of interest common to the field of psychiatry.
The book covers areas such as psychiatric evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment. It contains practical advice as well as background information and scientific data. This text assists health care workers with a number of common clinical situations, and offers a therapeutic framework and detailed evidence-based guidance for symptom management through the use of psychiatric medications. Later volumes also report on medication side effects, plasma monitoring (used to determine levels of medication in the bloodstream), and treatment of special patient groups including children and adolescents.
The Maudsley Prescribing Guidelines have been reprinted a number of times, and are now available as a tenth edition. Each subsequent edition has been revised and updated. The authors are recognized experts in their field, and have a background in psychotherapy, pharmacy, and psychology.
The Maudsley Prescribing Guidelines take their name from the Maudsley Hospital which is the largest mental health training institution in the UK. The book was originally published as an account of the prescribing practice for that institution. The Maudsley Hospital is also known for its unique approach to the treatment of eating disorders.
Individuals suffering from eating disorders are often diagnosed with other psychiatric conditions such as high anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, PMS, or impulse control disorder. A thorough understanding of the complex factors which contribute to a person`s eating disorder including appropriate use of medication, offers the best hope for long-lasting recovery. The Maudsley Prescribing Guidelines are therefore, considered to be an essential reference for anyone involved in the care and treatment of clients suffering from eating disorders and related conditions.