Anyone working with children and young people will find themselves fromtime to time dealing with those who are troubled, troublesome orboth.
This book is written for psychiatrists in training; doctors assessingand treating those young people who are in the greatest difficultiesbecause of their behaviour or emotional life.
As one would expect in a book written for doctors, the focus is onsymptoms and diagnosis. The "medical model" is very much in evidence.The authors have less to say about young people in difficultpredicaments, although there is a useful chapter on children who havesuffered from maltreatment.
There is also rather little about children who have suffered divorce orseparation of their parents, or about young people from ethnicminorities.
Although the book is intended for psychiatrists, it is for the most partvery clearly written in non-technical language. But professionalsworking in community services who are in contact with disturbed youngpeople will not find any easy solutions in this book. However, anyonewishing to learn more about the approach likely to be taken by a childand adolescent psychiatry service with a child with whom they areconcerned will find it both interesting and useful.
About one in 10 children and adolescents suffer from a seriousbehavioural or emotional problem. Anyone looking for other books andarticles to help them in this aspect of their work should contactYoungMinds, which is an excellent source of information(www.youngminds.org.uk).
- Reviewed by Philip Graham, emeritus professor of child psychiatry,Institute of Child Health, London
Seminars in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry - Second Edition
Edited by Simon Gowers
Gaskell: Royal College of Psychiatrists
ISBN 1-904671-13-6
320pp
25.00
