The 2nd edition of this clinically based guidebook that focuses on the initial psychiatric interview provides practical suggestions for analyzing and altering the interview to mesh with the specific needs of the patient. Contains detailed discussions of how to open an interview, how to interpret nonverbal communication, how to make more natural transitions, and how to arrive at accurate diagnoses. Offers special techniques for eliciting information from depressed, psychotic, and personality-disordered patients. This edition presents updated DSM-IV criteria, new strategies in suicide assessment, and an annotated interview section accompanied by sample write-ups with tips in the appendix.