Given the large number of medical books on the market, it is rare for a new volume to find a place in a genuinely new area. This book from Sachdev and Keshavan tackles the topic of secondary psychosis, although the authors prefer the term ‘secondary schizophrenia’. This is a topic that is usually subsumed in larger texts of organic psychiatry and neuropsychiatry but never previously justified a textbook as far as I am aware. Many readers will wonder – is there enough primary material on this topic to justify a standalone text?

Over 33 chapters and 436 pages the editors and contributing authors make a resounding case that this is no longer a niche area. The book is extremely up-to-date, with about half of cited references published in the past 10 years. Indeed, I would go further and say I doubt this book could have been written before such recent evidence, cited here, was itself published. Looking at individual chapters, it is probably drug-induced psychosis that is strongest, with individual chapters covering stimulants, lysergic acid diethylamide and related drugs and the currently hot topic of cannabis. Psychosis and neurological conditions is also very comprehensively covered, as is psychosis and genetic disorders. The neurobiology of schizophrenia, functional imaging and neurological examination in schizophrenia are also discussed. Every chapter is well written and takes a modern evidence-based approach. Occasional tables and illustrations are nicely presented but these average only one or two per chapter. I can see only two weaknesses. First, the coverage of delirium (which the authors file under toxic psychosis) is rather brief. Second, there is almost nothing of note on dementia with Lewy bodies, even in the chapter on psychosis and neurodegenerative conditions. This is an omission that should be corrected for the next edition.

Overall, there is much to like in this volume and I highly recommend it to all psychiatrists who have tended to overlook this area in the past. Now there is no excuse.