The Handbook of Liaison Psychiatry was first published in 2007 and is a comprehensive reference book for this fast-growing subspecialty. A team of experts in the field cover the full range of issues, from establishing a service and outlining the commonest problems encountered in general hospitals and primary care.

Part I. Basic Skills: 1. The development of general hospital psychiatry Richard Mayou; 2. Establishing a service Stella Morris; 3. Legal and ethical issues in liaison psychiatry Eleanor Feldman; 4. Understanding psychological reactions to physical illness Geoffrey G. Lloyd; 5. Detection of psychiatric disorders in the general hospital Damien Longson; 6. The role of the nurse in liaison psychiatry Anthony Harrison; Part II. Common Psychiatric Problems across the General Hospital: 7. Functional somatic syndromes Lisa Page and Simon Wessely; 8. Alcohol problems in the general hospital Jonathan Chick; 9. Drug misuse in medical patients Hamid Ghodse and Ilana Crome; 10. Sexual problems in medical patients Michael King; 11. Suicide and deliberate self-harm Julia Sinclair and Keith Hawton; 12. Delirium Paul Gill, Marco Rigatelli and Silvia Ferrari; 13. Childhood experiences Mark Berelowitz; Part III. Working with Specific Units: 14. Neurological disorders Alan Carson, Adam Zeman, Lyn Myles and Michael Sharpe; 15. Cardiorespiratory disorders Christopher Bass; 16. Gastrointestinal disorders Elspeth Guthrie; 17. Liver disorders Geoffrey Lloyd; 18. Endocrine disorders Antonio Lobo, M. Jesus Perez-Echevarria and Antonio Campayo; 19. Diabetes Khalida Ismail and Robert Peveler; 20. HIV and AIDS R. Foster and Ian Everall; 21. Renal disease Janet Butler; 22. Musculoskeletal disorders Chris Dickens and Graham Ash; 23. Oncology Geoffrey G. Lloyd; 24. Head and neck cancer Gerry Humphris; 25. Palliative care Matthew Hotopf and Max Henderson; 26. Cosmetic procedures David Veale; 27. Perinatal and gynaecological disorders Kathryn Abel; 28. The intensive care unit Simon Turner, Daniel Conway, Jane Eddleston and Elspeth Guthrie; 29. The burns unit Jonathan Bisson; 30. Psychocutaneous disorders Nora Turjanski; 31. Genitourinary disorders David Osborn; 32. The emergency medicine department Andrew Hodgkiss; Part IV. Treatment: 33. Psychopharmacological treatment in liaison psychiatry Ulrik Fredrik Malt and Geoffrey Lloyd; 34. The role of psychological treatments Elspeth Guthrie and Tom Sensky; 35. Problem cases Damien Longson and Sarah Burlinson; Part V. Different Treatment Settings: 36. Developing links with primary care Richard Morriss, Linda Gask, Christopher Dowrick, Peter Salmon and Sarah Peters; 37. Frequent attenders in primary care Navneet Kapur; 38. Major disaster planning Jonathan Bisson, Jim Bolton, Kevin Mackway-Jones and Elspeth Guthrie.

Review of the hardback: 'The book could have been categorised by symptom, such as pain or depression. However, this would have led to a lot of repetition. ... It has an excellent section on establishing a service, which is amusingly pragmatic. I also liked the 'How to do a referral guide', with carefully laid out steps that need to be taken. ... There is an excellent index ... All budding and established liaison psychiatrists should have this manual and medical libraries should stock it.' British Medical JournalReview of the hardback: 'It will be essential reading for liaison psychiatrists, liaison nurses, other members of the mental health team and services managers. It enthusiastically conveys the excitement and breadth of this developing subspecialty.' Clinical Medicine Journal of the Royal College of Physicians of LondonReview of the hardback: 'The setup and the extensive index makes it a very useful book for the practising CL psychiatrist. Because of its different character, this book is a good alternative for, or a welcome addition to, the existing American textbooks.' Journal of Psychosomatic ResearchReview of the hardback: 'This book is a very welcome addition to liaison psychiatry literature. It is the first really comprehensive textbook of liaison psychiatry by authors predominantly working in the UK; however, the inclusion of a number of eminent international contributors greatly enhances it. ... Were I asked to recommend a single liaison psychiatry textbook for liaison psychiatrists and trainees it would now be this one.' The British Journal of PsychiatryReview of the hardback: '... this book can be strongly recommended as a useful introduction to an important subject.' Journal of Mental Health