Book Review
Child Psychiatry
Annual Progress in Child Psychiatry and Child Development, 2000–2001. Margaret E Hertzig, Ellen A Farber, editors. New York: Brunner-Routledge; 2003. 632 p. US$125.00.
Reviewer
rating*: Excellent
Review by: Joseph H Beitchman, MD
Toronto, Ontario
This millennial edition includes papers published in 1999 and 2000 and provides a wide-ranging overview of interest to both clinicians and researchers. A total of 30 papers are organized into 6 sections: “Developmental Issues,” “Parenting,” “Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorders,” “Other Clinical Issues,” “Treatment Issues,” and “Societal Issues: Violence and Victimization.” The first section, “Developmental Issues,” addresses early childhood development, including studies of self-regulation, attention and cognitive processes, attachment theory, and the stability of attachment classification as reported in a 20-year longitudinal study; it also discusses 2 studies—one on infant colic and its relation to the development of circadian rhythm and one on imaginary friends that differentiates between invisible friends, personified objects, and children without imaginary friends.
“Parenting” has 3 articles. The first, a scholarly overview of nature vs nurture issues, concludes that contemporary evidence points to multiple roles for parents that do not imply the deterministic effect attributed to parenting and hereditary. The second paper addresses issues arising from contemporary approaches to reproductive technology. The third paper summarizes relevant literature on the subject of mothers with serious mental illness and its impact on child rearing and child outcome; in particular, it refers to maternal depression and maternal schizophrenia.
The section “Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder” includes 4 papers. Each addresses an important and relevant topic. The first, on the diagnostic efficiency of neuropsychological test scores, offers useful advice on their relevance in diagnosing attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The paper on methylphenidate use in preschool children and the paper on ADHD in girls contribute to the literature in this area and offer guidance to practitioners. The fourth paper, on stimulant treatment for children in a community sample, is a counterpoint to a previously published paper reporting much lower rates of stimulant use. While the authors are cautious regarding the extent to which these findings can be generalized, they do raise important concerns about the widespread use of stimulant medication for children who do not meet diagnostic criteria and for whom the efficacy of this medication is not clearly established.
Seven articles address various “Other Clinical Issues,” including such topics as alterations in reported experiences between adolescence and adulthood, developmental coordination disorder, body dysmorphic disorder, catatonia, an operational definition of autism, sex differences in rates of major depression, and socioemotional intelligence and mid-life resilience. Each article has something of interest to contribute and provides up-to-date information and an overview on important topics that have received relatively little attention in the scientific literature.
In “Treatment Issues,” 5 articles address nonresidential treatment effectiveness in the real world. It is argued that, at minimum, 8 sessions are required to demonstrate treatment effectiveness. Three early intervention programs in autism are reviewed; while methodological concerns have raised questions about some of the inferences drawn, the findings justify further research in each of the programs described. The third article in this section reviews treatment for sexually abused children and adolescents and proposes a continuum running from intervention and psychoeducation through cognitive-behavioural therapy with family involvement to more comprehensive long-term treatment. The last 2 papers in this section deal, respectively, with neuroleptic malignant syndrome in children and adolescents and cardiovascular monitoring of children and adolescents receiving psychotropic medications. Both these chapters deal with important clinical issues and offer suggestions for early detection and intervention. The latter paper concludes with specific recommendations for cardiac monitoring of children and adolescents receiving psychotropic drugs.
The final section,“Societal Issues: Violence and Victimization,” has 5 papers. The first, a metaanalysis of cross-sectional studies of children’s adjustment following peer victimization, reports that children who are bullied by others tend to score high on dysphoria and loneliness. The second paper focuses on a longitudinal study highlighting early behavioural characteristics of children at risk for maladjustment. This study found that, while aggressive children had difficulties with peers and teachers, aggressive-withdrawn children had the most difficulty and were often friendless, victimized, and dissatisfied. The third paper argues that violence is not usually a sudden event but is, rather, associated with psychopathology that develops slowly and has numerous markers. Consequently, child and adolescent psychiatrists should practise more active prevention efforts. The fourth paper in this section concludes that a positive mentoring experience is associated with improved parental relationships that, in turn, lead to increased academic achievement and sense of self-worth. Further, a consistent mentoring relationship can serve as a corrective emotional experience for youths who have had unsatisfying relationships with their own parents. The last paper describes an intervention aimed at reducing violence. This project includes both universal and selective classroom intervention. The results indicate that a universal intervention can be effective when implemented with fidelity and that high dosage can alter the quality of the classroom climate during the first year of school. The study described is the largest of its kind to show the efficacy of an elementary school–based universal intervention, both for promoting competence and for preventing maladjustment.
This book is intended to provide an overview of topical and significant contributions to knowledge in child psychiatry and child development. The editors have collated the most up-to-date research reports and reviews published in 1999–2000. They have attempted to be comprehensive, focusing on important research findings and offering broader topical reviews with implications for both practitioners and policy-makers. One can quibble with the choice of topics (for example, ADHD) and the exlusion of other equally important areas (for instance, anxiety disorders). However, it is inevitable that some topics will either be omitted or receive less print space. The selections can be amply justified on the grounds that the topics are of recognized importance to a large constituency and that the articles advance the state of knowledge.
This book is expensive but worth the cost. It includes many articles that readers will want to refer to again and again. With its quotable findings and conclusions, this book should be in the library of every child and adolescent psychiatrist. Given its broad scope and the excellence of the articles selected, it can also usefully serve as a template for a journal club. I highly recommend this book.
*Reviewer
Rating Scale/ Échelle d’évaluation du réviseur
Excellent / Excellent
Very Good / Très bon
Good / Bon
Fair / Passable
Not recommended / Pas recommandé
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