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“It is explicitly targeted at parents and guardians of children or adolescents considering, or already in, psychiatric care. However, the book also may be of keen interest to child/adolescent psychiatrists, advanced practice nurses, school nurses, pediatricians, pharmacists, and others involved in prescribing, administering, or monitoring psychoactive medications in children and interested in a better understanding and in providing realistic, empathic responses to the many questions and concerns that may arise….An exceptional guide for parents of children embarking on psychiatric care, this book addresses many of the major questions and concerns with insight, empathy, and candor. As a child/adolescent psychiatry fellow, I found myself highlighting the sections I would most like to share with my patients and their families. This edition…is revised throughout to reflect the most recent DSM-5 diagnostic terminology and advances in psychopharmacology. *****!”

—Doody's Review Service


“A valuable asset for school social workers. It provides well-organized, comprehensive information about the use of medications....School social workers can easily use it to assist parents in making decisions about the use of medication for their children....You can't ask for much more from this book. It covers so many questions about children and psychiatric disorders and the use of medication that parents may ask or think about after they've left the doctor's office....The use of definitions, tables, and charts helps make it accessible.”

—School Social Work Journal (on the third edition)


“The book is written at a level that is understandable and respectful to parents....One of the definitive books on pediatric psychopharmacology. It is an additional bonus that it is written specifically for parents....Highly recommended for clinicians and parents alike.”

—Metapsychology Online Reviews (on the third edition)


“Does an excellent job discussing various medications that can assist in the treatment of students with mental, emotional, or behavior problems....It would be a highly valuable addition to a school's reference library and would be especially useful as a third-party reference when parents raise discussion of psychiatric medication.”

—NASP Communiqué (on the third edition)


“Excellent....This book is comprehensive in scope and friendly in presentation.”

—Pediatric Rehabilitation (on the revised edition)


“Demystifies the complex process by which doctors diagnose and treat ADHD and other common psychiatric and behavioral disorders of childhood, including anxiety, depression, and autism.”

—ADDitude (on the revised edition)


“A godsend for parents looking for answers. Wilens takes the mystery out of medication.”

—Time (on the first edition)


“An informative guidebook....Will help parents become 'informed collaborators' in their child's psychiatric care.”

—Publishers Weekly (on the first edition)


“Filled with helpful tables and charts, definitions, commonly asked questions, and sources for further information and support.”

—Library Journal (on the first edition)


“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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Table of Contents

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

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About the Authors

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.

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Audience

Parents seeking a reliable, accessible source of information; also of interest to mental health professionals as a client recommendation, and to teachers and other school professionals.

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Previous editions published by Guilford:

Third Edition, © 2009
ISBN: 9781593858421

Revised Edition, © 2004
ISBN: 9781572309456

First Edition, © 1999
ISBN: 9781572302044