Straight Talk about Psychiatric Medications for Kids, Revised Edition

Rating:
Summary: A useful book for parents and professionals
Review: The book is organized by type of disorder (such as AD/HD, depression or anxiety) and by type of medication. This is good because some people want to know about a specific class of medications, while others want an overview of medication strategies for a particular disorder.

The new edition covers some of the newer medications such as Strattera. It discusses some of the recent cautions about the use of antidepressants in children but, due to the publication date does not have the fall 2004 FDA warnings.

I particularly liked the suggestions on communication between parent and psychiatrist. This should help parents formulate their questions and feel comfortable asking them. In this age of managed care, parents need to be educated advocates for their children. This book can give parents the tools they need to be assertive when they talk to their child's psychiatrist.

This book is also an excellent overview for medical residents and non-medical mental health professionals. I often suggest that psychiatrists in training read this book.