Prepare for psychiatric nursing care with this comprehensive, evidence-based text! Varcarolis' Foundations of Psychiatric-Mental Health Nursing: A Clinical Approach, 9th Edition makes it easy to understand the complexities of psychiatric disorders and how to provide quality mental and behavioral health care. Clinical chapters follow the nursing process framework and progress from theory to application, preparing you for practice with real-world examples. Other notable features include illustrated explanations of the neurobiology of disorders, DSM-5 criteria for major disorders, and nursing care plans. From clinical nurse specialist and lead author Dr. Margaret Jordan Halter, this bestselling text includes new Next Generation NCLEX® content to prepare you for success on your PMHN certification exam.



Case Study and Nursing Care Plan boxes include real-life vignettes of patients with specific psychiatric disorders.
Evidence-Based Practice boxes describe recent research studies and how their findings affect nursing practice.
Six-step nursing process is followed in clinical chapters, providing consistent guidelines for comprehensive assessment and intervention.
Learning features include key terms and concepts, key points to remember, critical thinking, and chapter reviews.
Conversational, mentor-like writing style reinforces important information and helps in applying textbook content to the clinical setting.
Coverage of therapeutic communication techniques and nontherapeutic communication provides tips to help you build patient interaction skills.
Assessment Guidelines summarize the steps of patient assessment for various disorders.
Considering Culture boxes discuss the importance of person-centered care in providing competent care to diverse populations in various clinical situations.
Patient and Family Teaching boxes focus on the nurse's role in helping patients and families understand psychiatric disorders, treatments, complications, and medication side effects.



NEW! Next Generation NCLEX® (NGN) case studies and questions are provided at the end of each clinical chapter to support critical thinking and prepare you for your state board examination.
NEW! Updated screening tools and rating scales make it easier to quantify symptoms and assess the severity of a disorder.
NEW! Advanced practice treatment modalities are addressed separately from the nursing process in the categories of biological interventions (e.g., pharmacotherapy and brain stimulation therapies) and psychological therapies (e.g., cognitive-behavioral therapy and interpersonal therapy).
NEW! Emphasis on adverse childhood experiences, trauma, and trauma-informed care addresses the near-universal experience of trauma in individuals with psychiatric disorders and conditions.
NEW! Order of clinical chapters mirrors that of the DSM-5, and many of the major disorders are accompanied by specific DSM-5 diagnostic criteria.
NEW! Health Policy boxes are updated to describe current legislation related to mental health.
NEW! The International Classification for Nursing Practice (ICNP), from the International Council of Nurses (ICN), provides straightforward nursing diagnoses that are easily translatable across settings and disciplines.