The Young Mind – review

Co-edited by Professor Sue Bailey and Dr Mike Schooter

This helpful resource is worth dipping into and can be read either by chapter/s of relevance or as a whole to inform parents, teachers and young adults. The young mind is designed as a handbook to bring together information by leading British experts. Today, with so much information at hand including conflicting information, it is great to have so many specialists in child and adolescent psychiatry write about their particular area of expertise. In the introduction, the editors describe how the book helps to distinguish between layers of concern and what lies at the centre of a problem. Stages of child and adolescent development are linked with the information.

The book has six parts covering topics such as child and adolescent development; parenting and parenting skills in adolescence; school; emotional health and wellbeing. Serious problems young people experience today are explored such as abuse, neglect and domestic violence, worries and anxieties, ADHD and Autism Spectrum Disorders, drugs, alcohol, eating problems, sleep, fatigue and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, self-harm and psychosexual development. Final chapters look at treatments and therapies for children and adolescents in mental health as well as transition to adulthood.

Throughout the book find vignettes, these little stories provide insight and help illustrate themes in various chapters. The young mind is written in a British context and some chapters tie in with British services. The book provides a comprehensive overview with clear text and links to resources in each chapter including some Australian and New Zealand resources.

Other resources surrounding mental health issues can be found in the AWCH collection and are available for loan, they include DVDs such as Family focus: talking together about parental depression and anxiety,  What is… Tourette syndrome? and Play Now/Act Now: Young people and alcohol. Books are available on topics such as ADHD, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, depression, grief and bereavement, Children of parents with a mental illness (COPMI) as well as coping with chronic illness. Links to Australian and international online resources can also be found on the AWCH Library catalogue. To find out about borrowing The Young mind or other resources contact the AWCH office or AWCH library. Your feedback is most welcome.