Memory Disorders in Psychiatric Practice Edited By German E. Berrios & John R. Hodges. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 2000. 520 pp. £ 39.95 (pb). ISBN 0 521 57671 7

I reviewed this book with four criteria in mind: first, ease of readability; second, whether the knowledge base is appropriate for the target audience; third, whether any new knowledge is added to what is already known about memory disorders; and fourth, whether there is fair representation of the variety of opinions on memory disorders in psychiatric practice.

As regards readability, the labour of trudging through an over-inclusive first chapter almost discouraged me from proceeding to the much more interesting chapters that follow on mood and memory, the concept of meta-memory, and an interesting account of the psychopharmacology of memory.

In part two of the book, the editors and authors concentrate on the clinical and practical management of memory and its disorders, and this section is excellent. The description of the Cambridge multi-disciplinary memory clinic gives insight into how an ideal memory clinic should function. However, the authors assume that other clinics will have similar levels of resources, which may not be the case. In many district general hospitals the approach may need to be tweaked to some degree.

Part three focuses on unique memory symptoms, with chapters covering paramnesias and delusions of memory, déjà vu andjamais vu, confabulation, flashbulb and flashback memory. These rare but interesting syndromes are described in great detail. The chapter on functional memory complaints identifies two new syndromes — ‘mnestic hypochondria’ and ‘functional cognitive disorganisation syndrome’ — and makes the case for their inclusion in future classification systems.

This is an informative book. It will be a valuable practical reference for clinicians, psychiatrists, neurologists and clinical psychologists at a senior level in their training. It suffers considerably from being multi-authored. The style of writing varies from being over-inclusive to providing practical point-by-point summaries. However, it does cover a considerable proportion of what is known about memory disorders, and should be a valuable part of the library of memory disorders clinics.