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Laura M. Prager, M.D.Assistant Editor

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Assistant Editor’s Note

R eviewers A. Reese Abright and Diana P.Sabagh style Dulcan and Lake’s ConciseGuide to Child and Adolescent Psychiatry,

Fourth Edition as a “carefully conducted tour”through our field. What a wonderfully descrip-tive phrase—one that inspires confidence in theauthors and motivates us to read further. Wouldthat the other two books reviewed in this issuecould be described as such. Genevieve Williamsonand Robert R. Althoff comment on Kaplan’s YourChild Does Not Have Bipolar Disorder; Anita Chureflects on Kirsh’s Media and Youth: A DevelopmentalPerspective. Alas, although both focus on timely andrelevant topics, each seems to miss the mark, withone having inadequate referencing of current re-search and the other, an overinclusiveness and alack of cohesion. Read on to see if you agree.

Concise Guide to Childand AdolescentPsychiatry, FourthEdition. By Mina K. Dulcan,M.D., and MaryBeth Lake,M.D. Washington, DC:American PsychiatricPublishing; 2012; 405 pp,$53.00 (paperback).

A s the knowledge base in child and ado-lescent psychiatry has expanded, the taskof presenting relevant information in a

format that does justice to the richness anddiversity of the field but does not overwhelm bysheer volume has become ever more challenging.Drs. Mina Dulcan and MaryBeth Lake, authors ofthe fourth edition of the Concise Guide to Child andAdolescent Psychiatry, have met this challengewell in a compact book that can serve as a primerfor those new to the field and a refresher forspecialists. As in the previous edition, the au-

thors have organized the book around the DSM- p

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V-TR, with an overview chapter on evaluationnd treatment planning followed by chapters onpecific disorders, special clinical circumstances,nd psychopharmacologic and psychosocialreatments. The text is interspersed with tableshat summarize key points; each chapter includesbrief list of pertinent references for profession-

ls; and the book concludes with an appendixisting resources for parents on the Internet andn print. These features are in keeping with theocus on brevity and clarity and encouragingeaders to supplement the information presentedith more comprehensive or specialized texts.The introductory chapter on evaluation guides

ewcomers to the field through the elements ofaking a biopsychosocial history and interview-ng children, parents, and families. Subsequenthapters cover the gamut of psychiatric disordershat may be first diagnosed in childhood (e.g.,ttention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder [ADHD]nd separation anxiety disorder), are consideredadult” disorders (p. 3) that may begin in child-ood (substance-related, mood, or anxiety disor-ers and schizophrenia), or are denominated asevelopmental disorders (mental retardation,ervasive developmental disorders, and learningisorders). These chapters include basic informa-

ion regarding the clinical description and eval-ation of each disorder, including relevant ratingcales; highlight differences between presenta-ions in children and adults; and summarizeurrent evidence and controversies regarding eti-logies and treatment. The chapter on speciallinical circumstances goes beyond diagnosis tohe assessment and management of psychiatricmergencies, child abuse, divorce, obesity, phys-cal illness, and other significant problems. Theuthors emphasize that the V code listing in theSM-IV-TR for “other conditions that may be a

ocus of clinical attention” (p. 3) should be ap-lied only in situations in which evaluation doesot lead to specific diagnoses and provide spe-ific examples of how to put this approach into

ractice.

AL OF THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF CHILD & ADOLESCENT PSYCHIATRY

VOLUME 51 NUMBER 7 JULY 2012

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The concluding two chapters address psycho-pharmacologic and psychosocial treatments, be-ginning with a discussion of general principlesand going on to specific interventions. The dis-cussions of major drug classes (i.e., stimulants,antidepressants, antipsychotics, and anticonvul-sants) and specific medications (atomoxetine,guanfacine, clonidine, lithium, and melatonin)have been updated from the previous editionand are presented in a consistent format thatincludes a discussion of evidence regarding indi-cations and efficacy for specific disorders, Foodand Drug Administration labeling status for usein minors, and practical information on initiation,ongoing treatment, and risks and side effects,including controversies regarding cardiovascularrisk with stimulants, suicidal risk that may beassociated with antidepressants, and metabolicrisk with antipsychotics. Tables listing stimulantpreparations, doses and side effects, and antide-pressant doses and indications are included; sim-ilar tables for antipsychotic medications wouldhave been welcome but are omitted. The discus-sion of psychosocial treatments for children em-phasizes the importance of the family and socialcontext in which such treatments are imple-mented and covers a broad range of interven-tions from individual, family, and group therapyin outpatient settings to day treatment, hospital-ization, and special educational settings. Com-mon themes and distinguishing features in indi-vidual therapies (supportive, psychodynamic,cognitive behavioral, and others), indications forand techniques used in behavior, family andgroup therapy, and the role of adjunctive inter-ventions such as foster care placement are brieflydescribed.

In summary, this is a book that takes thereader on a carefully conducted tour through thelandscape of contemporary child and adolescentpsychiatry. Experienced clinicians will recognizefamiliar landmarks, appreciate the skill of theauthors in condensing complex topics, and per-haps second-guess some of the omissions neces-sary to compress the book into a convenient sizefor easy reference. Medical students, residents,child fellows, and others new to the field will findan up-to-date and readily portable source thatwill assist efficiently in their efforts to learn aboutcurrent psychiatric approaches to children andadolescents, prepare for oral boards and otherexaminations, begin supervised clinical work

with young patients and families, and identify w

JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF CHILD & ADOLESCENT PSYCHIATRY

VOLUME 51 NUMBER 7 JULY 2012

good starting points for more in-depth explora-tion of the literature.

A. Reese Abright, M.D.

Diana P. Sabagh, M.D.Elmhurst Hospital Center

Mount Sinai School of MedicineNew York

abrighta@nychhc.orghttp://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jaac.2012.05.007

Your Child Does NotHave Bipolar Disorder.By Stuart L. Kaplan. ABC-ClioLLC; 2011; 184 pp, $33.39(hardcover).

W e really wanted to like this book, YourChild Does Not Have Bipolar Disorder,by Dr. Stuart Kaplan. Any busy clini-

ian in child and adolescent psychiatry has madehis statement to many, many parents. It woulde lovely to be able to identify a text that wouldelp them understand the hows and whys ofuch a determination. Instead, Dr. Kaplan’s bookttempts to convince parents (and clinicians) thatll children labeled as having bipolar disorderave been misdiagnosed. He argues that thesehildren in fact have severe ADHD and severeppositional-defiant disorder (ODD). He further

dentifies “bad science,” media promotion, andhe pharmaceutical industry as culprits in thereation and propagation of a faulty diagnosis (p.21). Dr. Kaplan hinges his thesis on three centraloints: most children diagnosed with pediatricipolar disorder have a nonepisodic illness in-onsistent with the criteria for mania establishedn the DSM-IV and therefore should not beiagnosed with DSM-IV bipolar illness; becauseDHD and ODD are easier to treat and their

espective treatments are more benign, theseiagnoses should be favored; and levying a di-gnosis of bipolar disorder on children has po-entially deleterious consequences and so shoulde avoided.

Dr. Kaplan’s first assumption (couched in

hat seems to have become a required homage

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