Deciding whether to give your child medication for an emotional or behavioral problem is one of the toughest choices a parent can face. Will medication really help? How long will it be needed? The doctor may say it's perfectly safe—but what about the news stories about overuse and risks? From experienced child psychiatrist Dr. Timothy Wilens, this bestselling guide has already empowered many tens of thousands of parents to become active, informed managers of their children's care. Dr. Wilens explains how medications work; their impact on kids' emotions, personality, school performance, and health; the risks and benefits of widely used antidepressants; and much more. New in the Third Edition:
The fully updated third edition details the latest advances in treating specific disorders—with significant new information on bipolar disorder and ADHD—and offers up-to-date answers to parents' frequently asked questions. Reviews: "A godsend for parents looking for answers. Wilens takes the mystery out of medication." -Time
"An informative guidebook....The author's straight talk about medications will help parents become 'informed collaborators' in their child's psychiatric care." -Publishers Weekly
'Should medication be used to help my child, and what are the risks and the benefits?' Parents need wonder no longer. The best answers science has at its disposal are right here." -Russell A. Barkley, PhD, author of Taking Charge of ADHD
"This book—a virtual teaching manual—uses a no-frills approach to providing an affordable wealth of information....An excellent supplement to the doctor visit. It is concise, well organized, and very easy to use." -NAMI Advocate (National Alliance on Mental Illness)
"The title says it all. Dr. Wilens arms parents with the knowledge they need to understand the risks, benefits, and role of psychiatric medications for children, and enables them to make informed decisions. He is wonderfully successful in combining his expertise and clinical experience into a practical resource for parents." -Christopher J. Kratochvil, MD, Department of Psychiatry, University of Nebraska Medical Center "Parents considering psychiatric medication treatment for their son or daughter often face a bewildering array of conflicting information—and misinformation—from family, friends, and media. Dr. Wilens, a top-notch psychopharmacologist, provides detailed, clearly understandable, research-based guidance on the pros and cons of various treatment options." -Thomas E. Brown, PhD, Associate Director, Clinic for Attention and Related Disorders, Yale University School of Medicine Contents: Introduction
I. What Every Parent Should Know About Psychiatric Medications For Children
1. The Preliminaries: Building a Foundation of Knowledge
2. The Psychopharmacological Evaluation: Finding Out What's Wrong
3. The Diagnosis and Treatment Plan: Laying Out a Strategy to Help Your Child
4. Treatment and Beyond: Collaborating in Your Child's Ongoing Care
II. Common Childhood Psychiatric Disorders
5. Attentional and Disruptive Behavioral Disorders
6. Autism and Pervasive Developmental Disorders
7. The Mood Disorders
8. Anxiety-Related Disorders
9. Schizophrenia and Other Psychotic Disorders
10. Disorders of Known Medical and Neurological Origin
11. Other Mental Health Disturbances Affecting Children and Adolescents
III. The Psychotropic Medications
12. The Stimulants and Nonstimulants for ADHD
13. The Antidepressants
14. The Mood Stabilizers
15. The Anxiety-Breaking Medications
16. The Antihypertensives
17. The Antipsychotics
18. Medications for Sleep, Bedwetting, and Other Problems
Appendix: Representative Medication Preparations and Sizes Used for the Treatment of Childhood Emotional and Behavioral Disorders; Example of a Completed Medication Log; Medication Log; Resources About the Author: Timothy E. Wilens, MD, Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, specializes in pediatric and adult psychopharmacology in his clinical work at Massachusetts General Hospital. Board-certified in child, adolescent, adult, and addiction psychiatry, Dr. Wilens has conducted research and published widely on psychiatric medications.
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