Abstract
In the past decade, the field of child and adolescent psychopharmacology has grown rapidly, as attested by the large number of published studies on the use of psychotropics for a range of disorders in this population and the emergence of a number of books on the subject. One of the world's leading figures in the area has been Stan Kutcher from Dalhousie University, Halifax. As editor of this text, he has assembled a group of well-known, largely North American authors who have combined to produce an extremely valuable and readily digestible examination of the role of psychotropics in young people.
Besides descriptions of the role of psychotropics in the individual disorders, there are chapters on develop-mental psychopharmacology, clinical aspects of child and adolescent psychopharmacology, medication for aggressive behaviour and the use of psychotropics in various medical psychiatric conditions. In addition, the first chapter provides a masterly, extensively referenced critique on the field at the turn of the millennium. Any weaknesses? No glaring ones. Perhaps a chapter on alternative treatments would have reflected the clinical reality that these substances are sometimes used in Western countries by young people for mental health problems and that psychiatrists should be familiar with them.
This is an excellent book that can be recommended as a stand-alone volume to psychiatrists whose practice includes children and teenagers. It also serves as a handy companion to Kutcher's earlier textbook on psychopharmacology, 1 which provided a ‘hands-on’, problem-orientated approach to the subject for prescribers.
