Checkmate Plus Books

Straight Talk about Psychiatric Medications for Kids

Timothy E. Wilens

 When is psychiatric medication the right choice for kids? Which side effects may be cause for concern? Does medication affect kids' personalities? What are the alternatives? Can medication lead to drug abuse? Psychiatric medications are being used with increasing confidence to treat a variety of child and adolescent disorders, including depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, ADHD, and Tourette syndrome. For parents, however, deciding whether to allow a child to take medication for an emotional or behavioral problem may be one of the toughest choices they will ever face. When a son or daughter needs help, parents need more than a brief medical consultation--and more than a prescription slip.

This essential book provides the up-to-date information that will enable readers to fully understand what their child's doctor is recommending, and what their options are. With loads of real-life examples, answers to frequently asked questions, and helpful tables and charts, Harvard University researcher and practitioner Dr. Timothy Wilens explains which medications may be prescribed for children, and why; examines effects on children's health, emotions, and school performance; and helps readers become active, informed managers of their child's care.

Contents

I. What Every Parent Should Know about Psychiatric Medications for Children
*The Preliminaries: Building a Foundation of Knowledge
*The Psychopharmacological Evaluation: Finding Out What's Wrong
*The Diagnosis and Treatment Plan: Laying Out a Strategy to Help Your Child
*Treatment and Beyond: Collaborating in Your Child's Ongoing Care
II. Common Childhood Psychiatric Disorders
*Attentional and Disruptive Behavioral Disorders
*Autism and Pervasive Developmental Disorders
*The Mood Disorders
*Anxiety-Related Disorders
*Schizophrenia and Other Psychotic Disorders
*Disorders of Known Medical and Neurological Origin
*Other Mental Health Disturbances Affecting Children and Adolescents
III. The Psychotropic Medications
*The Stimulants
*The Antidepressants
*The Mood Stabilizers
*The Anxiety-Breaking Medications
*The Antihypertensives
*The Antipsychotics
* Medications for Sleep, Bedwetting, and Other Problems

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 researched and published widely on psychiatric medications and their uses.

Reviews

Winner of a 1998 Parents' Choice Approval

Selected as Outstanding by Parent Council®

"Presents a straightforward view of the medication options available to children with emotional, developmental, and behavioral disorders. Parents coping with the weighty decisions surrounding the issue of pharmacotherapy for children will find this an informative guidebook....The author's straight talk about medications will help parents become `informed collaborators' in their child's psychiatric care."
-Publishers Weekly

"Dr. Wilens has done a masterful job in synthesizing complex information and making it available to parents and families. Practical and useful, this book will strengthen parents' ability to understand the role that psychiatric medicines can play in their children's health and well-being. I strongly recommend it for any parents struggling with behavioral and emotional difficulties in their young."
-Joseph Biederman, MD, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School

"An extraordinarily valuable reference....With remarkable clarity, Wilens describes a wide variety of conditions and up-to-the-minute information about related treatments....What may be most striking, however, is the compassion for families that is conveyed in every chapter. Wilens is clearly sensitive and knowledgeable about the experiences and concerns of parents."
-Mary McDonald Richard, Coordinator, LD/ADHD Services, University of Iowa

"Exactly the kind of advice parents need....In a thoughtful and compassionate way, Dr. Wilens answers the many questions parents have when their children need psychiatric referral. Parents, teachers, and others who work with children will find this book an enlightening guide to recent advances in psychiatric treatment."
-Andrea J. Eberle, MD, PhD, Pediatric Endocrinologist and Child Mental Health Advocate

"A real 'how-to' for anyone whose child is being treated with medication for psychiatric problems. This book empowers caregivers to manage their children's care more effectively."
-Judith L. Rapoport, MD, Child Psychiatry Branch, National Institute of Mental Health