A simple guidebook, cowritten by three doctors, to answer all the questions caregivers have about medicating their children for mental illness
For parents and caregivers, considering psychiatric medications for your child can be scary and overwhelming as they weigh the risks and benefits. A Parent’s Guide to Starting Psychiatric Medications for Kids boils down the process of evaluating children and deciding whether to use medication, and then explores different classes of medications in detail, from the side effects to ongoing monitoring. Three child psychiatrists from New York's Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Alexander Kolevzon, MD; Robert Jaffe, MD; and Pilar Trelles, MD, combine their years of research and experience to deliver a straightforward, accessible Q&A guidebook for parents and caregivers.
Whether you are considering medications for ADHD, anxiety, depression, or autism, this guide empowers you to ask your provider all the tough questions to ensure you are comfortable and confident in your journey of exploring psychiatric medications for your child.
Praise
“Bravo! I love the question-and-answer format because it sounds like a conversation in my office. As a parent and a child and adolescent psychiatrist, I have tried to navigate the careful terrain of supporting parents and children in decisions about whether to treat psychiatric conditions with medication—Drs. Kolevzon, Jaffe, and Trelles have done a marvelous job in achieving this goal. A Parent’s Guide to Starting Psychiatric Medications for Kids will be an important resource.”
—Victor Fornari, MD, Vice Chair for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell
“Parents, adolescents, curious children, pediatricians, child and adolescent psychiatrists, and trainees from many medical disciplines: when you open A Parent’s Guide to Starting Psychiatric Medications for Kids, you will probably feel relief and excitement that this book exists. You will also realize how essential it is to be a highly informed parent or an ideal prescriber. This guide is an engaging resource filled with clear answers to questions that parents often wish their providers addressed systematically, even when time is limited. It also specifically addresses medication, which is a crucial aspect of child and adolescent psychiatry treatment that is often the most distressing and the least understood by families. It is a beautifully practical approach to the very real possibility of fear and stigma overshadowing reality when it comes to this topic. This accomplishment is particularly significant given the urgent need for solutions to common challenges in delivering care as we navigate the current epidemic of child mental health needs.”
—Anne L. Glowinski, MD, MPE, Robert Porter Distinguished Professor in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California San Francisco
“When looking for trustworthy information on psychiatric medications for their children, parents often have to wade through stigmatized views, advice from well-wishers, and direct-to-consumer advertising. Bucking this trend, A Parent's Guide to Starting Psychiatric Medications for Kids provides a new resource that is as approachable as it is comprehensive, as compassionate as it is evidence-based—in short, a book full of light, in a space so often consumed by heat.”
—Andrés Martin, MD, PhD, Riva Ariella Ritvo Professor, Child Study Center, Yale School of Medicine
“Taking a no-nonsense approach, A Parent’s Guide to Starting Psychiatric Medications for Kids answers parents’ most common and anxiety-provoking questions about treating their children with psychiatric medications in an evidence-based, gentle, and often humorous manner. Reading this book feels a lot like sitting around the dinner table with these kindhearted and compassionate authors, whose fine book I will certainly recommend to families.”
—Jess P. Shatkin, MD, MPH, Vice Chair for Education & Professor, Department of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, NYU Grossman School of Medicine
“As the parent of a profoundly autistic son with a history of very aggressive and self-injurious behavior, I know firsthand the challenges of finding the right psychiatric care. A Parent’s Guide to Starting Psychiatric Medications for Kids is the guide I wish I had—offering practical, compassionate, and evidence-based advice to help families navigate tough decisions with confidence and hope."
—Amy S. F. Lutz, PhD, Vice President, National Council on Severe Autism
“Finally!! This is the book I wish I had when we first considered medication for my daughter with autism. Parents shouldn’t need a medical degree to understand their child’s medical options. And now they don’t!”
—Alison Singer, President, Autism Science Foundation
