Abstract
Although my first thought when seeing this book was ‘Yet another textbook in child and adolescent psychiatry!’ this text provides an overview of child and adolescent psychiatry that is comprehensive and practical without being overwhelming. I liked the clear layout. The text is interspersed with text boxes covering diagnostic criteria and case presentations. Additional boxes cover ‘Pearls and Perils’ with useful clinical practice points, ‘Consider consultation when …’ and ‘Key clinical questions and what they unlock’. The latter provide examples of questions worded appropriately for children and adolescents, or their parents.
Blackwell have produced this book as one of a series in which the intention is to teach diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders using deductive and inductive reasoning by conveying not only knowledge but also wisdom from experienced clinicians. While this may cause some concern to those wedded to the evidence-based approach in which clinical experience is ranked poorly, the result is a measured and practical book that outlines and discusses the limitations of our current knowledge as well as providing a good overview of what is known. It is easy to read and the text boxes provide useful information and although I am not convinced by the deductive/inductive approach, I do think it is a useful book.
The book is divided into sections covering assessment and evaluation, diagnostic categories and a final section on broader clinical conditions and situations. For each diagnosis the reader is led through the description of the disorder with text boxes on diagnosis including discriminating between consistent and variable features, text boxes with sample questions for each disorder, clinical case examples and useful practice points in the ‘perils and pearls’ boxes. Treatment covers the range of interventions possible, an overview of the evidence, medications and dosages and guidance about when to consider consultation. The focus is on provision of practical information relevant to clinical practice. While the book is based on the DSM diagnostic system, the limitations of this are covered in discussion of the disorders. The final section covers clinical situations that go beyond diagnostic categories, with all their limitations, covering such issues as infant psychiatry, the role of the school in psychosocial development, risk taking, chronic illness and sexuality.
Although this book is aimed at medical practitioners and would be a good text for medical students and those working in primary care, paediatricians and child psychiatry trainees, it would also be a good reference book for those from different disciplines working in child and adolescent mental health services.
Sally Merry
Auckland, New Zealand
© 2007 Sally Merry