Growing up can be stressful for any teenager, but it is considerably harder for the many adolescents who develop an anxiety disorder. This book is an essential guide for parents, teachers, or other adults involved with teenagers who may be affected by these disorders. By bringing together two strands of expertise-that of mental health professionals and of parents who have lived through the experience of their own teenager's mental illness--If Your Adolescent Has an Anxiety Disorder provides adult readers with the clinical information and practical advice they need to understand and help the teen. There are chapters detailing four of the different types of anxiety disorders, including social anxiety, generalized anxiety, obsessive-compulsive, and post-traumatic stress disorders. Each includes a clearly written definition, a discussion of factors that can contribute to developing the disorder, treatment information, and case studies based on a real family's own experience with the disease. Tips and quotes from parents are sprinkled liberally throughout the text, and helpful sidebars provide more detailed information. The authors also provide a chapter fully dedicated to discussing treatment options, including what role parents play in treatment, how to juggle treatment and school, and how to handle insurance and managed care issues Knowing the right information about anxiety disorders is the first step towards helping adolescents who are dealing with them grow to become healthy, happy adults Reviews: "This book is a must for any parent who has an adolescent plagued by worries and anxiety. It is unique in combining current knowledge with practical information about what adolescents experience, what can be done, and how parents can help. Although written for parents, professionals will also benefit from the book's broad discussion of diagnosis, treatment, and causes of various anxiety states. Clearly, this book reflects the vast clinical experience of a seasoned and compassionate clinician." --Rachel Klein, Ph.D., New York University Child Study Center "Foa and Andrews provide parents a rich understanding of a variety of worries, fears, and anxieties, and they provide guidelines on how to help their teens overcome them. Parents will find the book engaging, easy to read, and full of important ideas about how best to understand and help their teens. A must read for the teen's sake and ours."--Thomas H. Ollendick, Ph.D., University Distinguished Professor and Director, Child Study Center, Virginia Tech "Problems with anxiety can change the life course for many teenage children. Yet good and unbiased information is almost nonexistent. This book is written by two authors who are armed with a wealth of scientific information, extensive experience, and empathic understanding. Dr. Foa and Ms. Andrews provide a vital resource for parents of anxious teenagers. The language is clear and straightforward and the information is accurate and up-to-date. It is a book that every parent with an anxious teenager must have."--Ronald M. Rapee, Ph.D., Director, Macquarie University Anxiety Research Unit, and Author of Helping Your Anxious Child: A Step by Step Guide for Parents "An essential read, this book is a clear, concise, comprehensive resource for parents of children experiencing problems with anxiety."--Louis Harkins, Founder and Administrator of the OCD and Parenting List "Easy-to-readan invaluable resource for parents and professionals alike. This volume can greatly assist parents as well as professionals to more effectively identify and help adolescents who are suffering. I would highly recommend it to parents as well as professional colleagues." --Esther Deblinger, Ph.D., New Jersey CARES Institute, University of Medicine & Dentistry of NJ, School of Osteopathic Medicine "Each disorder is accompanied by a definition, contributing factors, treatment information, and case studies. Quotes, helpful tips from parents, and sidebars appear throughout the text. This in-depth, logically arranged book also contains an expanded table of contents, a useful appendix, a glossary, and a list of resources. An essential addition to public, middle, and high school libraries."--Library Journal About the Author: Edna B. Foa, Ph.D., is a Professor of Clinical Psychology in Psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania and Director of the Center for the Treatment and Study of Anxiety. Linda Wasmer Andrews is a freelance science writer based in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She is the co-author of If Your Adolescent Has Depression or Bipolar Disorder: An Essential Resource for Parents. About this Series: The Adolescent Mental Health Initiative series addresses some of the major mental health issues facing teenagers today--eating disorders, anxiety disorders, depression, and schizophrenia. Of the books planned for the series, the first four, including the two presented here, focus on how parents and other adults, including teachers, coaches, guidance counselors, and even pediatricians, can help afflicted teens overcome the disrupting and often devastating challenges of these disorders. Each book is an authoritative guide that offers essential information such as how to go about getting a diagnosis, what the latest treatment options and prevention strategies are, how to help teens cope with mental illness at home and at school and, perhaps most importantly, what the warning signs and red flags are that parents and other adults should look out for in teenagers who may be at risk for these diseases. Combining the expertise of leading psychiatrists and psychologists with the experience of everyday people who have faced these disorders in their own children, the books are designed to help adults deal effectively with adolescent mental illness and to empower them to act immediately and wisely in getting teens the best available treatment possible. |