Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, A Comprehensive Text. Edited by Philip A. Saigh & J. Douglas Bremner. Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon. 1999. 434 pp. ISBN 0-205-26734-3 (hb)

This is a multi-author, North American textbook on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). A number of similar texts, of variable quality, have been published over the past 10 years and one might question the need for yet another.

This one suffers from a number of the limitations common to such books. However carefully chapters and authors are selected, it is difficult to be comprehensive. Some topics are either not covered or are difficult to find and pertain only to a particular aspect of PTSD. For example, if one were interested in risk factors or the epidemiology of PTSD there are mentions of these topics in the chapters on ‘PTSD in adults relative to criminal victimization’, ‘combat related PTSD’ and ‘child—adolescent PTSD’, but there are no comprehensive individual sections devoted to these important areas. There are other omissions, for example, road traffic accidents (motor vehicle accidents in US jargon) have 22 references in the index, but no section in any chapter actually covers this important area.

There are, however, some significant strengths in the book, particularly for those interested in research. There are outstanding chapters, which are among the best reviews of particular topics that I have come across; for example, ‘the psychophysiological assessment of posttraumatic stress disorder’. The text is well referenced and the research literature is summarised in tables that include an indication of key findings together with methodological shortcomings. Four chapters relate to PTSD in children and adolescents. Treatment is well covered, with a balanced perspective including both psychological and pharmacological approaches. Previous texts have sometimes concentrated on the treatment modalities typically delivered to the Vietnam veteran patient population, which often are of less interest to UK readers. This topic is covered, but there is equal coverage of individual exposure-based cognitive—behavioural therapy, which would be more common practice this side of the Atlantic. Eye movement desensitisation/reprocessing gets a mention too, perhaps too briefly for true converts.

The contributors include some of the most important workers in their particular field, for example, Alexander McFarlane, Douglas Bremner, Edna Foa, Jonathan Davidson, Terence Keane, Landy Sparr and Roger Pitman.

Overall, although it is not totally comprehensive, it comes fairly close, and if I had to take one text on PTSD to my desert island, it would be this. I would thoroughly recommend it to anyone who has a serious interest in the disorder.