Main description:

More and more often, emotional and behavioral problems in the young are being evaluated and treated by professionals other than child and adolescent psychiatristsAbusy clinicians who may struggle to keep abreast of the rapid changes in this challenging field. This book can help those nonspecialists better understand the problems of young patients by presenting specific guidance on more than a dozen commonly seen conditions, such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, conduct disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, phobias, eating disorders, and tic disordersAall in concise chapters written by leading experts on these disorders. Essentials of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry distills the authoritative advice found in the third edition of The American Psychiatric Publishing Textbook of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Updating and pruning that volume's detailed and comprehensive content, Essentials omits those chapters directed primarily toward subspecialists and retains what is immediately useful to general psychiatrists, pediatricians, neurologists, and nonphysician mental health clinicians such as nurses, psychologists, social workers, and family therapists.
It offers an overview of child and adolescent psychiatric problems; practical guidance in the use of interviews, rating scales, and laboratory and diagnostic testing with young patients; and targeted information on a wide range of often-perplexing disorders, including: -the assessment and diagnosis of mental retardation; autistic disorders; and learning, motor skills, and communication disorders -guidelines relating to the differential diagnosis of schizophrenia, early-onset mood disorders, and anxiety disorders -an overview of clinical management of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder with a summary of the extensive treatment research -the assessment and treatment of substance abuse disorders in youth, including adaptations for youth with comorbid disorders -chapters on posttraumatic stress disorder and child abuse -strategies for intervention with youth showing suicidal behavior The book also features an updated chapter on psychopharmacology covering stimulants, antidepressants, antipsychotics, mood stabilizers, and antianxiety drugs and addressing diagnostic considerations for their use. Other treatment measures are covered in the chapters on specific disorders.
Each chapter ends with multiple-choice questions for self-assessment. For the clinician who needs a practical guide to child and adolescent psychiatric disorders, Essentials is indeed essential, setting a new standard for authoritative help.

Contents:

Contributors. Preface. Part I: Assessment and Diagnosis. Overview of development from infancy through adolescence. Classification of child and adolescent psychiatric disorders. The clinical interview of the child. The clinical interview of the adolescent. The parent interview. Diagnostic interviews. Rating scales. Laboratory and diagnostic testing. Presentation of findings and recommendations. Part II: Developmental Disorders. Mental retardation. Autistic disorders. Developmental disorders of communication, motor skills, and learning. Part III: Psychiatric Disorders. Schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders. Mood disorders. Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Conduct disorder and oppositional defiant disorder. Substance abuse disorders. Separation anxiety disorder and generalized anxiety disorder. Obsessive-compulsive disorder. Specific phobia, panic disorder, social phobia, and selective mutism. Posttraumatic stress disorder. Adjustment and reactive disorders. Part IV: Disorders Affecting Somatic Function. Infant and childhood obesity. Anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. Tic disorders. Disorders of elimination. Part V: Special Issues. Physical and sexual abuse of children. Suicide and suicidality. Part VI: Treatment. Psychopharmacology. Appendix: answer guide to self-assessment questions. Index.