Psychiatry P.r.n

Loved and recommended by medical students, the second edition of Psychiatry PRN: Principles, Reality, Next Steps is an undergraduate textbook, a guide to working with patients and an OSCE revision tool all in one.

Each psychiatric disorder is illustrated with key facts, tips, and case studies which bring diagnostic criteria and symptoms to life. Unique illustrations convey the patients lived experiences and give real insight into psychiatric conditions. With empathy, professionalism, and pragmatism, the authors guide the reader on how to approach patients, what to do, and what not to do. Each section ends with step-by-step questions to ask patients both in real life and in OSCE exams.

Praised for its accessible and clear writing style, this guide covers everything you need to take comprehensive psychiatric histories from patients with a variety of psychopathologies. Supporting videos illustrate clinical skills for placements and to prepare for exams.

Small enough to carry around Psychiatry PRN gives medical students everything they need for life on the wards. It is also highly useful for student nurses, social workers, and OTs.

Sarah Stringer, Specialty Doctor in Learning Disabilities, Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, Sussex, United Kingdom,Laurence Church, Consultant Psychiatrist, Priory Hospital, Woking, United Kingdom,Juliet Hurn, Consultant Psychiatrist, South London & Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, United Kingdom,Roxanne Keynejad, Clinical Research Training Fellow and ST4 higher trainee in General Adult Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience King's College London, London, United Kingdom

Dr Stringer qualified from Guy's, King's & St Thomas' in 2002. She completed her training in general adult psychiatry in 2013 at South London & Maudsley, and now works for a learning disabilities team in Sussex. She believes passionately in empathy, the importance of listening, and parity of care for people with mental health problems. As a result, she edited Psychiatry PRN (for medical students) and Psychiatry: Breaking the ICE (for FY and CT doctors). She also developed and ran the anti-stigma communication skills course, Extreme Psychiatry at King's College London (2004-2018), winning the Teaching Excellence Award for Medicine in 2007 and 2012. In 2018, she was awarded a British Empire Medal for services to psychiatry and equality in mental health care.


Dr Church graduated in medicine from The University of Birmingham in 1998. After initial postgraduate training he became a member of the Royal College of Psychiatrists in 2002. He then undertook specialist training in general adult and old age psychiatry in London and obtained an MSc in psychiatric research in 2007.
From 2008 to 2014 he was a consultant psychiatrist in a community mental health team in Surrey. During this time he was awarded two NHS Clinical Excellence Awards. Since 2014 he has been working full time in independent private practice; this has meant increased hours spent providing direct clinical care, which he cares most passionately about. He has been a trustee for a local charity which provides a range of vocational training courses and social inclusion activities for people who have mental health problems (2014-2019).


Dr Juliet Hurn is a consultant psychiatrist at South London & Maudsley NHS Trust.

Roxanne C. Keynejad is a Clinical Research Training Fellow and ST4 higher trainee in General Adult Psychiatry. She is completing a PhD in the Section of Women's Mental Health at King's College London's Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience. A feasibility study of problem-solving therapy for perinatal depression in women experiencing partner violence in rural Ethiopia, it is supported by an IoPPN Clinician Investigator Scholarship and the National Institute of Health Research Global Health Research Unit on Health System Strengthening in Sub-Saharan Africa, King's College London.
Studying Medicine on the KCL graduate/professional entry programme, after a degree in Psychology with Philosophy at the University of Oxford, she completed the Academic Foundation Programme at St Helier and St George's Hospitals before an Academic Clinical Fellowship on the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust's Training Programme.

Part 1 Overview in psychiatry
1. Psychiatric assessment
2. Safety
3. Essential interview skills
4. How to succeed in psychiatric OSCEs
5. Classification and diagnosis
6. Mental health and the law
7. A career in psychiatry
Part 2 Clinical conditions: principles, reality, next steps
8. Affective disorders
9. Suicide and self-harm
10. Schizophrenia
11. Substance misuse psychiatry
12. Organic psychiatry
13. Old age psychiatry
14. Anxiety, obsessions, and reactions to stress
15. Medically unexplained symptoms
16. Eating disorders
17. Psychosexual disorders
18. Problems following childbirth
19. Learning disability
20. Child and adolescent psychiatry
21. Personality disorders
22. Forensic psychiatry