Psychiatric Pharmacogenomics is a book written to help clinicians to use pharmacogenomic testing to improve the pharmacotherapy that they provide for their patients. It is designed to teach clinicians how to order pharmacogenomic tests and interpret the results. Clinical examples are used to underscore the specific indications for pharmacogenomic testing and to clarify the clinical usefulness of identifying atypical genotypes that result in problematic responses to medication.
The first section of the book begins with a basic review of molecular genetics. Additionally, the book also includes an extensive glossary of technical terms associated with molecular genetics and pharmacogenomics. The clinical utility of pharmacogenomic testing is demonstrated throughout the book by describing the implications of genetic variations for the care of individual patients.
The second section of the book is organized into fourteen chapters that each focus on the clinical implications of testing for specific genes for which variants have been associated with either therapeutic response or side effects of psychotropic medications. Each of these chapters is structured in the same manner and involves a description of the gene and its significant variants. Each chapter also includes one or more clinical vignettes.
The third section of the book discusses the clinical usefulness of pharmacogenomic testing, ethical issues associated with pharmacogenomic testing, and provides predictions for the future development of more sophisticated pharmacogenomic testing.
Industry Reviews
"Psychiatric Pharmacogenomics, authored by David A. Mrazek, M.D., F.R.C. Psych., is the most authoritative book in the field of psychiatric genetics produced in the XXI Century. This text is not only an ideal tool for the busy clinician, but also offers the knowledge required by educators and investigators in the field of psychiatry pharmacogenomics at large".--Pedro Ruiz, MD, President, American Psychiatric Association (2006-2007); President Elect, World
Psychiatric Association (2008-2011); and Professor of Psychiatry and Vice Chair for Education, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Texas Medical School at Houston, Texas
"In his book on psychiatric pharmacogenomics, Dr. Mrazek distils his scientific wisdom with clinical insights, to produce a unique guide to the theory and practice of this nascent specialty. He takes us on a journey of discovery, from the initial perplexing observations that different patients respond differently to the same medication in the same dose, to our understanding that this differential responsiveness could often be due to common genetic
variation...This is a timely and hugely important book, pulling together the strands of psychiatric pharmacogenomics in an accessible way that provides clear guidance to clinicians, and is also an invaluable review
of contemporaneous research for scientists working in the field."--David H. Skuse, MD, Behavioral and Brain Sciences Unit, Institute of Child Health, London, UK
"This textbook - a pioneer in this field - offers a useful and actual overview on pharmacogenetic testing in psychiatry and is especially dedicated to clinicians and practicing psychiatrists rather than scientists working in the field of pharmacogenomics."--Julia Kirchheiner, MD, Professor of Clinical Pharmacology, University of Ulm, Institute of Pharmacology of Natural Products & Clinical Pharmacology, Ulm, Germany
"This remarkable volume should be read by all those who regularly prescribe psychotropic medication and more generally by those interested in how rapid scientific advances in molecular genomics and in the study of psychopathology together have led to major new resources for the treatment of mental illness. Dr. Mrazek's text is the first to comprehensively address psychiatric pharmacogenomics. The book is superbly written. This book is a rare combination of
superb scientific writing, thoughtful clinical reflection, and profound understanding of this rapidly advancing field and should be read by all those concerned about the effects of mental illness in
families. --William R. Beardslee, MD, Director, Baer Prevention Initiatives and Chairman Emeritus, Department of Psychiatry, Children's Hospital Boston, Gardner/Monks Professor of Child Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
"This is an exciting book on the use of genetic testing for predicting adverse effects of, as well as response to, psychopharmacologic agents. The author, a pioneer in pharmacogenomics, has written an extremely informative book for clinicians and researchers. It is a very welcome addition to the psychiatric literature...This is a superb book on a very useful topic in clinical psychiatry. All psychiatrists need to be versed in the wisdom this book provides. "
--Doody's
2010 PROSE Award Honorable Mention recipient, Biological Sciences
"It would quite useful as a reference text to be utilized when a patient presents with a history of side effects from low doses of medications or nonresponse to medication. I hope that Dr Mrazek will have some mechanism to provide updates as this field advances." -- Psychiatrist.com
