Mental Health Disorders in Adolescents provides essential information to help parents, educators, and general practitioners find effective ways to identify and treat psychiatric disorders that many teens face. The first of two reader-friendly sections, "Recognizing the Problem, Finding Help, and Negotiating the System," is designed to help caregivers navigate the often confusing adolescent mental health system. Readers will find comprehensive information about when and how to seek help and the kinds of treatments that are available, including a detailed discussion of psychiatric medications and psychotherapy options. "Common Psychiatric Problems in Adolescence," the second section, offers information on specific psychiatric disorders, including symptoms and warning signs, diagnostic evaluations, treatment options, prognosis, and associated risks for each disorder.

Additionally, Eric P. Hazen, Mark A. Goldstein, and Myrna Chandler Goldstein have compiled two practical appendices-one provides a list of resources, organizations, books, websites, and phone numbers for further information and support. The other serves as a "treatment organizer" to help parents know what school and medical data to bring to a psychiatric evaluation and teach them how to keep track of important discussions related to their child's treatment.

By recognizing the early symptoms of a psychiatric disorder, adults may be able to save a teen's life. Mental Health Disorders in Adolescents offers real options to anyone searching for ways to help at-risk teens.

ERIC P. HAZEN, M.D. is a board-certified child and adolescent psychiatrist and an instructor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. He practices at Massachusetts General Hospital and Newton-Wellesley Hospital, where he is the chief of the division of child and adolescent psychiatry. MARK A. GOLDSTEIN, M.D. is the founding chief of the adolescent and young adult division at the Massachusetts General Hospital and assistant professor of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School. He is the author of numerous books and editor of The MassGeneral Hospital for Children Adolescent Medicine Handbook.MYRNA CHANDLER GOLDSTEIN, M.A, is an independent scholar, journalist and author of numerous books and articles, including Healthy Foods: Fact versus Fiction

"Mental Health Disorders is a timely resource for parents trying to make sense of and navigate through the [health services] system."

"This book is a successful attempt to provide basic, yet important, information about common adolescent disorders and their treatment. It will certainly help the busy clinician stay on top of the types of information available to the lay public."