Essentials of clinical psychopharmacology edited by Alan F. Schatzberg, focuses on the key aspects of clinical psychopharmacology. This book, now in its second edition, is organized around two major parts of the textbook.
The first part, “Classes of Psychiatric Treatments,” presents information by classes of drugs. For each drug within a class, data are reviewed on preclinical and clinical pharmacology, pharmacokinetics, indications, dosages, and the like. This section is pharmacopoeia-like. Data is included on currently available drugs in the United States and medications that will almost certainly become available in the near future. New chapters or subsections on electroconvulsive therapy, new antipsychotics, new antidepressants (e.g., dual reuptake inhibitors), and nonbenzodiazepine anxiolytics were added to the second edition of the textbook and are included in the essentials.
The second part, “Psychopharmacological Treatment,” reviews state-of-the-art therapeutic approaches to patients with major psychiatric disorders as well as to those in specific age groups or circumstances: children and adolescents with psychiatric disorders, emergency psychiatry patients, patients in pregnancy and postpartum, medically ill patients, and so forth. This section provides the reader with specific information about drug selection and their prescription.

What Your Patients Need to Know About Psychiatric Medications has been written by two psychiatrists and a pharmacist with many decades of experience as clinicians, educators, and authors, Robert E. Hales, M.D., M.B.A., Stuart C. Yudofsky, M.D., Robert H. Chew, Pharm.D..
Based on this experience, the authors have endeavored to write a book that addresses the barriers to optimal psychopharmacological treatment as enumerated above. They have attempted to complement the work of the treating physician by writing a book that provides patients with relevant, easy-to-use, and easy-to-understand information about psychiatric medications. The book has been conceptualized and organized to answer the most common questions that patients have about their psychiatric medications—including how to take their medications and the benefits and side effects of those medications. Emphasis is placed on the clarity, accuracy, and accessibility of information offered. They have prioritized information that is evidence-based and that enhances the safe and effective use of psychiatric medications. They believe that the more informed our patients are about their psychiatric disorders and their medication-based treatments, the greater the degree of their compliance, safety, and treatment response. They hope that we have written a book that physicians will “prescribe” to their patients receiving psychiatric medications. The authors also hope that What Your Patients Need to Know About Psychiatric Medications will enhance patients' understanding of why they need to take medication and will increase their motivation to comply with their physicians' treatment recommendations.