Clinician's Guide to Cocaine Addiction: Theory, Research, and Treatment

A product of many years' work by researchers at the renowned Yale Substance Abuse Research Center, this volume constitutes a comprehensive resource on cocaine. Unusually coherent for an edited book, the volume's chapters reflect the contributors' long collaboration in making significant contributions to the field. The CLINICIAN'S GUIDE covers the history of cocaine research, the pharmacology and phenomenology of the drug, and current treatment approaches for cocaine abuse.

Part I reviews the history of cocaine research with a discussion of America's first cocaine epidemic and the evolution of understanding about the properties of the drug. Part II, on pharmacology and phenomenology, presents the scientific basis of clinical practice, illuminating the linkage between research and practice. Many chapters in this preclinical section feature figures and diagrams that illustrate important principles of neurotransmitter and drug action relevant to the psychology of abuse and treatment. Included are such topics as basic and clinical neurobiology, conditioning and cognitive factors, the role of the clinical laboratory, and reports from family/genetic studies.

Covering treatment approaches, Part III features chapters on epidemiology, medical complications and emergency management, pharmacotherapy, psychotherapy, and inpatient treatment. Specific approaches for special populations are discussed in chapters on comorbid psychopathology, cocaine abuse in methadone programs, and the pregnant cocaine abuser. Throughout, case examples and clinical extracts clearly illustrate key points in the management of these patients. In many examples, the preclinical basis of a clinical intervention is illustrated to help the reader develop his or her own ideas for innovative treatment approaches. A final chapter recaps the treatment approaches and provides a framework for matching clients to the appropriate treatment modality.

A complete compendium on research and treatment, the CLINICIAN'S GUIDE TO COCAINE ADDICTION is a necessary resource for all mental health professionals who work with substance abusers. Providing an excellent introduction to and overview of the field, it will be valued by counselors and health care providers new to the area and by students in advanced undergraduate and graduate-level courses on drug abuse and its treatment.