An great reference book, and quicker review book

books:

	• Massachusetts General Hospital Psychiatry Update & Board Preparation, Second Edition Theodore A. Stern, John B. Herman McGraw-Hill Professional, 2003 - 678 pages average customer review:based on 8 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Just what you need

MGH Update and Board Preparation has all the elements of a good review book: easy to read, full of information, and organized. It even highlights the important stuffs to remember. Overall, this is a great reviewer.

An great reference book, and quicker review book

I got this book my first year of residency, and it is very helpful and quick, especially the child sections. But, I find that I still need to pull out Kaplan & Saddock (full book or synopsis) for some information. This book is more consice than both of the other books, so it is quicker. For medical students it would be a great textbook as well. So, recommend this book as that quick reference and review book to take with you, but still keep Kaplan & Saddock handy and Use it.

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The Best Review Book

I used this book (1st edition) for both Part I & II of my board preparation. Simply the best book available in the market!!!!!

Good if fits your learning style

Very thorough in covering the field. This second edition is even better than the first one. Chapters are short and focused. Data was updated to the date of publication. However, the format is plain and a little boring to me. I can read through a chapter in short time but retain not much information besides what I already know. I think it is the dry format design that is not exciting. It is a condensed volume with a lot of good information with no illustration. It should be good for those who prefer this style of reading. It is 6 year old so needs some update, particularly in neuroscience and psychopharmacology.

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like reading the phone book

I bought this book to brush up for my 10 year board recertification exam and, after the exam, I would say I have mixed feelings about having used it. First, if you are someone who believes that studying the material of your chosen profession should be a slightly rewarding experience, I suggest you look elsewhere. Reading through this book is about as engaging as reading the phonebook, with the crucial difference that in many towns you would get through the phonebook faster. The chapters are typically written in outline form and are quite dry. Unlike other books, each chapter is not followed by review questions (which can break up the reading experience). Instead, the 400 review questions are left for the back of the book. This also means that it is tricky to use the questions as a way of learning which chapters you need to read more carefully as they don't obviously map to the chapters.

A few years since its publication, the book is already slightly out of date, if only in emphasis. For example, a full 5% of the 200 questions on the test (yes, I counted) related to the use of buprenorphine, naltrexone, naloxone, and acamprosate in the management of substance abuse disorders. These treatments, which were newer when the book was published, get scant attention here. In addition, the test at the back of the book contains many K-questions, those often perplexing multiple-multiple choice questions, but they are (thankfully) no longer used in the actual exam.

Nevertheless, reading this book, painful as it was, did help, and I am sure that I got a number of questions right that I would otherwise have missed. As recertification is still new, I expect that there will be better books coming out soon. I would recommend looking for them.

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reviews: page 1, 2

The best board preparation and review - from the premier center of psychiatry education, research, and treatment. A concise and accessible book for course review and board certification and recertification. Features a bulleted approach to all techniques for diagnosis and treatment and board-style questions with detailed answers.

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