Product Description

The coauthor of the bestselling Driven to Distraction broadens his scope with this practical, accessible guide to coping with a wide range of behavioral problems in children from birth to age eighteen. "Soothing reassurance with powerful information to worried parents who are seeking answers."--Harvey Parker, Ph.D., author of The ADD Hyperactivity Book for Parents, Teachers, and Kids.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #732995 in Books
• Published on: 1997-08-27
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 288 pages

Amazon.com Review
There are a ton of books that offer child-rearing advice, and only a few less that describe research on childhood emotional and learning problems; this is one of the few books that combines the two. Edward Hallowell brings readers into his consultation rooms to meet his clients--and the descriptions and dialogue are effective in bringing the situations to life. When You Worry About the Child You Love will help you understand why your child is unhappy or underachieving, will help you help your child to manage her emotions, and perhaps most important, will help parents do what they can and stop blaming themselves.

From Publishers Weekly
Hallowell (Driven to Distraction), a practicing child and adult psychiatrist who teaches at Harvard Medical School, aims to cast light on those dark times when what he calls "moral diagnoses" of a child's behavior?such as "'spoiled' or 'lazy' or 'manipulative' or 'incorrigible'"? "eclipse the light of the correct, medical diagnoses." A firm believer that "hidden biological elements shape the emotional life of children," he convincingly reminds parents "that many causes of childhood emotional problems are beyond their control and their children's." Authoritative examples and case studies illustrate his point of view. In such chapters as "Treatable Conditions Parents Should Learn to Recognize," Hallowell examines the initial symptom, e.g., rage attacks or episodic bouts of extreme anxiety, and offers "snapshots" of the complexity of what the child is actually feeling. He then provides "possible diagnosis" as well as tips on "At-home remedies" and a guide to professional treatment. While some readers may take issue with Hallowell's advocacy of drugs such as ritalin to deal with the physiological bases of mental illnesses, his compassionate, highly readable guide is an excellent resource for understanding the psychological factors in the life and behavior of young people.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
Coauthor of Driven to Distraction (LJ 3/15/94), Hallowell (psychiatry, Harvard Medical Sch.) offers hope to parents of children with emotional or learning problems. His premise is that "hidden biological elements shape the emotional life of children," but he stresses that ultimately both nature and nurture affect every child's fate. Using colloquial language and numerous anecdotes, he discusses the causes, symptoms, diagnostic methods, effects, and possible treatments of over 30 conditions such as depression, nonverbal learning disorder, and posttraumatic stress syndrome. The conditions are presented in Chapter 1 and mentioned in later chapters addressing confusion, anger, sadness, and fear. Other chapters cover the biological bases for learning and emotional problems and medication. The book includes a short list of helpful associations. More informal than other parenting books on learning and emotionally disabled children, this is recommended for public libraries.?Carol R. Nelson, Ball State Univ. Lib., Muncie, Ind.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Customer Reviews

Objective and information packed resource
This was the first book of it's kind that I've read that didn't "take sides" on this controversial issue. Everything else I've read either focused entirely on the biochemical aspects of psychiatric disorders, and recommended the use of medication, or took the opposite stance that medication for such things is bad, and puts our children at a disadvantage so that life will be easier for parents and teachers. This book clearly describes various mental disorders- it presents criteria for diagnosis including symptoms checklists and detailed examples. It shows which conditions are likely to require medical intervention to improve, and which could benefit from alternatives. The descriptions of how a child with each disorder behaves are extremely helpful. If your child has one of the diorders covered in this book, you will recognize it easily when you read it's description.. Am informative book in a clear, inderstandable style.