4th Edition

Straight Talk about Psychiatric Medications for Kids, Fourth Edition

    Is medication the right choice for treating your child's emotional or behavioral problems? How can you be confident that he or she has been properly diagnosed? What do you need to know to get the most benefits from medication treatment, with the least risk? From leading child psychiatrists Timothy Wilens and Paul Hammerness, this book has already empowered many tens of thousands of parents to make tough decisions and become active, informed managers of their children's care. With clarity and compassion, it explains how medications work; their impact on kids' emotions, personality, school performance, and health; the pros and cons of specific treatment options; and much more. In addition to parents, teachers and other school professionals will find this book an ideal reference.

    New in the Fourth Edition:
    Extensively revised to include the latest information about medications and their uses, the fourth edition is even more accessible, and includes pullouts, bulleted lists, and "take home points" highlighting critical facts.

    Introduction
    I. What Every Parent Should Know about Psychiatric Medications for Children
    1. The Preliminaries: Building a Foundation of Knowledge
    2. The Psychopharmacology 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. Anxiety-Related Disorders
    7. Mood Disorders
    8. Autism Spectrum Disorder
    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 Alpha Agonists and Antihypertensives
    17. The Antipsychotics
    18. Medications for Sleep, Bedwetting, and Other Problems
    Appendix A. Representative Medication Preparations and Sizes Used for the Treatment of Childhood Emotional and Behavioral Disorders
    Appendix B. Medication Log
    Resources
    Bibliography

    Biography

    Timothy E. Wilens, MD, is Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and Chief of the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital. Board certified in child, adolescent, adult, and addiction psychiatry, Dr. Wilens conducts research, lectures, and publishes widely on child and adolescent psychiatric issues.

    Paul G. Hammerness, MD, is Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and Medical Director of Outpatient Psychiatry at Boston Children’s Hospital. Board certified in child and adolescent psychiatry, Dr. Hammerness is an experienced clinician, educator, and researcher.

    "This is the book I've turned to for the past 15 years to share with parents, and the fourth edition makes a great resource even better. Understanding psychiatric medications can be confusing, but reading this book is like having the authors in the room to explain their thinking process as well as the most up-to-date research in the field. Straight Talk answers parents' most common questions with empathy and wisdom. It tells you exactly what you need to know about the benefits, potential downsides, and what to expect."--Ellen Braaten, PhD, coauthor of Bright Kids Who Can't Keep Up

    "The fourth edition of Straight Talk gives parents a wealth of up-to-date information about medications prescribed for kids' emotional and behavioral problems. The authors are superb, empathic clinicians who know what you are going through and help you understand and weigh the risks and benefits."--Thomas E. Brown, PhD, author of A New Understanding of ADHD in Children and Adults

    "Drs. Wilens and Hammerness are international leaders in pediatric psychopharmacology. Comprehensive, balanced, and easy to read, this book is outstanding. The fourth edition keeps up with the rapidly growing research base. You get the information you need to ask the right questions so your child will receive the best care possible."--Melissa P. DelBello, MD, MS, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine

    "The fourth edition of this classic book is striking in its comprehensiveness, depth, and practicality. For a book that is so well grounded in current science, it has a remarkable clarity that parents will appreciate."--Thomas J. Power, PhD, ABPP, Director, Center for Management of ADHD, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
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