Mental Health Medications for Children: A Primer for School Professionals » (1st Edition)

Ronald T. Brown, PhD, is Professor of Public Health, Pediatrics, and Psychology, and Dean of the College of Health Professions at Temple University. Currently editor of the Journal of Pediatric Psychology, he has published several books and over 200 articles and chapters in the areas of pediatric psychology and pediatric psychopharmacology. Dr. Brown was formerly President of the Society for Pediatric Psychology and currently serves the National Institutes of Health, Center for Scientific Review, study section on behavioral medicine interventions and outcomes. He is a diplomate in Clinical Health Psychology of the American Board of Professional Psychology and a fellow in the American Psychological Association, the American Psychological Society, and the National Academy of Neuropsychology.

Laura Arnstein Carpenter, PhD, is Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at the Medical University of South Carolina. Dr. Carpenter is a licensed clinical psychologist specializing in the assessment and treatment of autism spectrum disorders, and has extensive training and clinical experience in pediatric neuropsychology. She has cowritten nine articles and chapters, and has made more than 30 presentations at regional and national scientific conferences.

Emily Simerly, PhD, is Clinical Director of the Mental Health Unit at the Georgia Diagnostic and Classification Prison in Jackson, Georgia, a maximum security men's intake prison that also houses Death Row. She is also Regional Clinical Director of mental health units at a number of prisons in northern Georgia. Dr. Simerly has published articles in Voices and has written a chapter in Psychotherapy and the Poverty Patient. As a clinician, she uses a humanistic–existential foundation to practice in-depth psychotherapy, using many cognitive-behavioral techniques.

This indispensable primer is designed specifically for school psychologists and other members of the school-based treatment team, as well as child clinical psychologists. Concise yet comprehensive, the book provides vital information on psychotropic medications that are frequently prescribed to manage children's behavior and enhance learning and academic performance. Effective guidelines are outlined for monitoring medication use, documenting beneficial effects as well as adverse side effects, and facilitating collaboration among health care providers, teachers, and parents. Reproducible appendices are packed with tools for managing these essential tasks, all in a large-size format with lay-flat binding and permission to photocopy.

Doody Review Services

Reviewer:Nicholas Greco IV, MS, BCETS, CATSM(Abbott Laboratories)
Description:As the psychiatric care of children usually does not rest with one person, nor should there be only jargon-laden books describing medications used with children. This book represents a reader-friendly approach to understanding the various medications, the importance of the treatment team, side effects, and compliance.
Purpose:The purpose is to provide an overview, a basic primer on the use of psychotropic medications for children with learning, mood, and behavior problems. The book is designed with non-psychopharmacologically trained individuals in mind and it positively demonstrates this. The book exceeds expectations.
Audience:School psychologists, teachers, parents, school administrators, and nurses will find this book invaluable. Those new to the field of mental health will get a solid primer, and as a professor, I plan to use this book in my Introduction to Psychopharmacology and Medical Terminology course. The authors are credible members of the field who have provided a valuable resource.
Features:While one cannot escape medical jargon, the authors explain it well and even try to limit it where applicable. The emphasis on school personnel as a treatment team is highlighted along with useful checklists to use. Discussion of the side effects of various classes of medications and the need for water breaks or bathroom passes is an important area the authors elaborated on. The classifications of psychotropic medications and the particular disorders for which they are prescribed are discussed. The 16 appendixes which cover letters to physicians, event observation logs, medication contracts, etc. are indispensable.
Assessment:What a tremendously useful addition to one's bookshelf. One will be hard-pressed to find a finer primer on mental health medications for children. Strongly recommended!