Psychiatry: Clinical Cases Uncovered By Peter Byrne and Nicola Byrne. Wiley-Blackwell. 2008. £19.99 (pb). 240 pp. ISBN: 9781405159838.

This is a book I wish I had had as a novice. Intended for medical students and junior trainees, it delivers a highly accessible guide to the art of good psychiatric practice.

Part 1 provides comprehensive instruction on the basics in an easy-to-read style, although some of the dense factual tables were a strain to read and might be off-putting to an ambivalent undergraduate passing through their psychiatry placement. My advice to any such student would be to skip to Part 2 where the text comes alive, drawing readers into the narratives of its 22 case studies that range from schizophrenia and mania to the more exotic dissociative fugue. Most cases take about 20 minutes to work through, with the authors guiding you through vignettes with a blend of teaching, Socratic questioning and sage counsel that feels like a tutorial from an encouraging and compassionate senior consultant. Difficult relatives, ethical dilemmas and psychosocial mess intrude, at times unexpectedly, as each narrative unfolds and the small details, such as the religious woman compulsively washing her hands 12 times – once for each apostle – make for engaging and realistic stories.

Cultural, emotional and social issues are highlighted throughout. However, the backbone of this book is unapologetically medical. The first case – a man with panic disorder – sets the tone, with consideration within a few sentences of whether hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy might not actually be causing his symptoms. As a consequence this book, which boldly claims in the introduction's opening gambit that ‘psychiatry is the ultimate clinical specialty’, has the potential to seize the attention of even the most ardent would-be physician.

Part 3 concludes with ten pages of multiple choice questions, extended matching questions and self-assessment questions for eager students and trainees to test themselves, with the authors continuing their supportive tone in the guidance provided in the accompanying answers.

This book is unlikely to replace the need for a comprehensive psychiatric textbook. Nor will you find yourself taking it on holiday to read by the pool. But if you are in the mood for something educational, engaging and at times even entertaining, and have half an hour to spare, then I would thoroughly recommend putting your feet up and dipping into one of the cases in this excellent text.