| Synopsis: |
Children, adolescents and their families are presented with prodigious difficulties as they face the challenges of the 21st century. Our children pass through intricate developmental phases as they traverse through childhood and adolescence on their inevitable journey into adulthood. Since many parents face considerable challenges in their endeavours to help their children, many families turn to their primary care professionals for counsel in this regard. There are a limited number of books summarising current concepts of behavioural pediatrics as defined by the first edition of this book: 'what the clinician does to diagnose, to treat, and most importantly, to prevent mental illness in children and adolescents'. The authors have compiled this updated information for various health care professionals who are seeking to provide comprehensive health care for our children and adolescents - paediatricians, family medicine physicians, internists, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, psychologists, social workers, health educators and others involved in the care of children and adolescents. Much has evolved in this field since the publication of the first edition in 1992.Research in child and adolescent psychiatry, psychology, behavioural sciences, paediatrics, family therapy, individual therapy and related fields have led to new and exciting information. Advancements in psychopharmacology have lead to an explosion of medications used to treat a wide variety of mental health disorders, including depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, disruptive behavioural disorders, eating disorders, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and others. This edition is designed to provide the primary-care clinician with a practical guide to early recognition and intervention in the significant problems increasingly affecting the emotional health of children and adolescents. It is the hope of the editors of this edition that this updated information will be of considerable help to clinicians in helping to meet the complex needs of the children, adolescents, and families that they serve. Today, our families expect us to look at both the medical and metal health aspects which affect our children and teenagers. |