Foreword by Christopher K. Varley

Summary

Children and adolescents with mental health problems commonly first present to pediatricians and primary care providers. One of the major unmet healthcare needs for children and adolescents in the USA is for the treatment of serious mental health disorders. There are far too few child and adolescent psychiatrists in the USA, and access to subspecialty expertise is often challenging. Thus, both the assessment and treatment of mental health disorders often fall to pediatricians.

Pediatric and Adolescent Psychopharmacology, by Greydanus, Calles, and Patel is a welcome addition to the libraries of pediatricians. This is a practical, organized text which addresses the psychopharmacologic treatment of the prominent conditions in which medications are used in children and adolescents. It is accessible, useful, and well written.

The first three chapters set the stage for pharmacologic treatment being provided in the context of comprehensive care, and addressing prescribing principles. Primary care clinicians regularly treat attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), writing most of the prescriptions for psychotropic medications for ADHD in the USA. ADHD is the second most common chronic illness for which pediatricians provide care. Readers will find the chapter on ADHD helpful, adding to what they know about ADHD. Pediatricians also commonly treat depression. The familiarity and comfort of pediatricians in the assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of other mental health disorders in children and adolescents are less uniform.