A timely, urgently needed book—by a medical doctor, a child and adolescent psychiatrist who specializes in the evaluation and treatment of children and teenagers in distress—on the behavioral problems and mental illness in children and teens, and how best to treat them.

Are you a parent faced with the difficult decision of whether to medicate your child for a psychiatric disorder? This book is here to help. Dr. Elizabeth Roberts, a board-certified medical doctor specializing in child and adolescent psychiatry, explains the risks and benefits of medicating and not medicating your child for conditions ranging from depression to ADHD to bipolar disorder. She demystifies and simplifies the process of separating psychiatric illness from more common behavioral patterns—particularly defiance, or willfulness—and clearly explains what she discusses every day with the parents of the hundreds of children she treats, including:

• How do I know which of my child’s behaviors are biochemical and which are the result of willfulness?

• When should I seek a child psychiatrist’s help?

• How can I find a doctor I can trust?

• When is it more appropriate to use behavioral techniques?

• What are the problems and risks associated with psychiatric medications?

Roberts’s experience and guidance will be invaluable in helping you wade through all of the contradictory recommendations out there and make the best medical decisions for your child.

15.95