Based on George Engel's model, The Biopsychosocial Formulation Manual presents ways to help psychiatry residents and students effectively gather and organize patient data to arrive at a complete mental health history in a limited timeframe. While most current models only take one factor into account, Campbell and Rohrbaugh emphasize and analyze three essential components (biological, social, and psychological). The process of identifying pertinent data for each component of the biopsychosocial formulation is explicated in detail. A separate section outlines how to use the biopsychosocial formulation to generate treatment recommendations. This volume includes a complete package for practicing the biopsychosocial method; this easy-to-use guide includes a data record sheet and downloadable resources to facilitate organization and assessment, appealing to both the psychiatric professional and the trainee.

The biopsychosocial model for the assessment, diagnosis and treatment of disease has continued to develop since its inception in the mid-twentieth century by Dr. George Engel. The tripartite model is based on general systems theory, and allows for a clinician to get a comprehensive picture of the physical, mental and environmental influences on a patient's health (the authors stress the importance of the concept of an interpersonal clinician-patient relationship). This model of mental health is particularly useful during the initial interviewing and patient presentation processes, during which time the practitioner hopes to gather as much useful information as possible about a new patient.
Interestingly enough, it is often not the collection of data, but the organization, matching, and formulation of information gathered during an interview that presents the clinician with the greater challenge. "The Biopsychosocial Formulation Manual" is intended to help beginning clinicians and trainees to more efficiently gather, organize, assess and diagnose a patient's history and current illness. The manual is designed to first help the clinician with the initial gathering of data, and secondly to later construct a bio-psycho-social formulation. The text is comprised of five major sections (The Biological Formulation, The Psychological Formulation, The Social Formulation, Risk Assessment, and Prognosis). An easy-to-use Biopsychosocial Formulation Database Record is included in the text, giving the reader a useful resource wherein she can record, organize and begin an analysis of data from both patient interview and chart review data. Inserted in each copy of the book will be a companion CD-Romdisc, containing electronic versions of such useful materials as the aforementioned Database Record, many of the tables and charts found within the text, and other valuable tools.