Book excerpt: Developed by the APA to assist in clinical decision making, the "Practice Guidelines" series has become an invaluable resource to help benchmark care strategies for 11 common mental disorders. The APA makes "Practice Guidelines" available to help improve patient care and give members access to the latest information and research. Intended as a professional resource and not a "standard of care," the "Practice Guidelines" provide convenient summaries of what we know about key mental disorders and the effectiveness of specific treatments. The eleven "Practice Guidelines" are: Alzheimer's Disease and Other Dementias Of Late Life Bipolar Disorder, Second Edition Borderline Personality Disorder Delirium Eating Disorders, Second Edition HIV/AIDS Major Depressive Disorder, Second Edition Panic Disorder Psychiatric Evaluation Of Adults Schizophrenia Substance Use Disorder: Alcohol, Cocaine, Opioids These guidelines help you: Understand clinical features and symptoms Make a confident differential diagnosis Evaluate interventions commonly used to treat specific disorders Select the appropriate site of service Educate the patient and family Assess the efficacy and risks of available medications Develop an individualized treatment plan