Key Topics in Psychopharmacology provides a comprehensive, accessible and up-to-date introduction to the science and clinical practice of psychopharmacology. Written by Professor Philip Cowen, one of the world's leading authorities in the field, the book covers the full spectrum of contemporary psychopharmacology, from fundamental principles and the historical development of psychiatric medications to the pharmacology and clinical use of all the major classes of psychotropic drugs.

Distinguished by its integration of psychopharmacology with clinical psychology, the book places drug treatment within a broader biopsychosocial framework, emphasising the complementary roles of medication and psychological therapies in promoting recovery from mental illness. Moving beyond simplistic "chemical imbalance" models, it offers an original and thought-provoking account of psychotropic drugs as tools that influence neuropsychological processes-including emotional processing, learning, neuroplasticity, motivation, and salience attribution-that enable psychological recovery and behavioural change.

Combining clear explanations with evidence-based clinical guidance, Key Topics in Psychopharmacology will be an invaluable resource for psychology, medical and nursing students, trainee psychiatrists, primary care physicians, clinical psychologists, pharmacists, and all healthcare professionals whose academic studies or everyday clinical practice require a sound understanding of psychopharmacology.

Philip Cowen is Professor of Psychopharmacology in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Oxford. He trained in medicine at University College Hospital, and then in psychiatry at King's College Hospital, both in London. He then moved to the University of Oxford to work in the MRC Unit of Clinical Pharmacology under the supervision of Professor David Grahame-Smith. In this laboratory, Professor Cowen studied the basic neuropharmacology of serotonin and its application to clinical psychopharmacology. In1983, Professor Cowen was appointed MRC Clinical Scientist and Honorary Consultant Psychiatrist in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Oxford. He was elected to a personal chair in Psychopharmacology in the University in 1997 and to the Academy of Medical Sciences in 2001. Professor Cowen is senior author of the shorter Oxford Textbook of Psychiatry the leading text for psychiatric trainees in the United Kingdom.