Helping Parents, Youth, and Teachers Understand Medications for Behavioral and Emotional Problems: A Resource Book of Medication Information Handouts » (3rd Edition)

Mina K. Dulcan, M.D., is Head of the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Margaret C. Osterman Professor of Child Psychiatry at Children's Memorial Hospital; Director of Adolescent Psychiatry at Northwestern Memorial Hospital; and Head of the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and Pediatrics at the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University in Chicago, Illinois.

This book of practical handouts is an essential resource for psychiatrists, pediatricians, and others who prescribe medicine for youth with behavioral and emotional problems. Written in language that lay readers—parents, teachers, and youth—can understand, this book covers today's most effective medications for pediatric behavioral and emotional disorders. This time-saving resource offers essential information for the patient, family, and school, including 64 medications from alprazolam to zolpidem. Each entry contains the basic information needed to reinforce clinical discussions, ensure that key points aren't forgotten or overlooked, and provide answers to important questions that arise between visits.

Now in its third edition, this handy treatment aid has been restructured to enhance clinical use. The book is organized by generic drug name, with brand names indicated and indexed. Each medication has a handout for adults—parents and teachers—and a separate handout for youth. Each parent and teacher handout describes how the medication works, how long its effects last, some of the side effects and interactions with other medications and foods, and what could happen if the medication is stopped suddenly. Each medication handout for youth explains how to take the medication, how the doctor will follow patients' progress, and how the medication might affect patients. The clinician can photocopy handouts from the book or conveniently print them from the accompanying CD-ROM.

Written by experienced clinicians, all medication information has been updated and new medications have been added. This fully enhanced third edition features

• Information on new medications such as atomoxetine (Strattera) and aripiprazole (Abilify)
• Explanations of new concerns about potential side effects and FDA black box warnings for antidepressants and stimulants
• Expanded coverage of medications for sleep
• Appendixes that list medications typically used for certain indications, to enable the clinician to discuss options with the family or to check off medications that have been tried
• Additional sources of information for the clinician and for patients and their families, including books, Web sites, and helpful organizations

Helping Parents, Youth, and Teachers Understand Medications for Behavioral and Emotional Problems, Third Edition, is a valuable resource that will help busy clinicians promote understanding, enhance compliance, and improve therapeutic outcomes.

Doody Review Services

Reviewer:Robin Shapiro, MD(Rush University Medical Center)
Description:This book is intended to provide medical information handouts for the use by parents, teachers and adolescents.
Purpose:The purpose is to provide basic information regarding psychotropic medications, side effects, benefits, and other information to teachers, parents, and adolescents. This useful book useful meets the objectives. The author is a well respected expert in the field of child and adolescent psychiatry.
Audience:After an introduction, the book contains alphabetically listed psychotropic medication handouts - one for each medication. The handouts provide a general overview of the medication, information about side effects, interactions, and other necessary information and warnings. A CD-ROM accompanies the book for easily accessible handouts.
Features:Appendixes list medications FDA approved for ADHD, medications typically used for depression psychosis and mood stabilization, and resources for parents and teachers. The handouts are useful and readable. They provide clear explanations and specific warnings and cautions unique to each medication. They also describe, in basic terms, the pharmacokinetics and metabolism so parents will know what to expect and perhaps this may help compliance. In addition, two resource lists are provided -- one of books/resources and another of information on the Internet.
Assessment:In an improvement over the previous edition, the book provides individual handouts for medications in the same class as opposed to grouping medications in the same category together. This book is very readable for most audiences, convenient and helpful. It is a great resource.

Contributors. Acknowledgments. Introduction for physicians. Selected additional reading for health and mental health professionals. Resources for parents and teachers. Information on the internet. About the CD-ROM. Alprazolam. Amphetamine. Aripiprazole. Atenolol. Atomoxetine. Benztropine. Bupropion. Buspirone. Carbamazepine. Chlorpromazine. Citalopram. Clomipramine. Clonazepam. Clonidine. Clozapine. Cyproheptadine. Desipramine. Demopressin acetate. Diazepam. Diphenhydramine. Duloxetine. Escitalopram. Estazolam. Eszopiclone. Fluoxetine. Fluphenazine. Flurazepam. Fluvoxamine. Gabapentin. Guanfacine. Haloperidol. Hydroxyzine. Imipramine. Lamotrigine. Lithium. Lorazepam. Loxapine. Melatonin. Methylphenidate. Mirtazapine. Modafinil. Nortriptyline. Olanzapine. Oxcarbazepine. Paroxetine. Perphenazine. Pimozide. Pindolol. Propranolol. Quetiapine. Ramelteon. Risperidone. Sertraline. Temazepam. Thiothixene. Topiramate. Trazodone. Triazolam. Trifluoperazine. Valproic Acid. Venlafaxine. Zaleplon. Ziprasidone. Zolpidem. Appendices. Index of brand names.