Description
DSM-5(R) Casebook and Treatment Guide for Child Mental Health offers trainees and clinicians who provide mental health services to children and adolescents a concise but conceptually and clinically rich guide to the types of disorders commonly found in practice. The cases are either new or updated from the previous publication, which was designed as a child mental health casebook for DSM-IV-TR, and were chosen to illustrate advances in diagnosis and evidence-based assessment and treatment with DSM-5 in mind. For each case, commentaries are included from a child and adolescent psychiatrist and child psychologist (or another mental health professional), who review each vignette and address diagnostic formulation and treatment from both psychotherapeutic and psychopharmacologic perspectives, with attention to other modalities that might be important for clinical management. This panel approach allows for a diversity of perspectives and provides valuable, complementary insights into each case.
The book is structured in a logical, user-friendly way, with many features that facilitate and enhance learning: – Cases are divided into four sections, each with an introduction by the editors, who summarize and contextualize the information presented in that part, providing a framework for understanding and building bridges to the other sections.- The 29 case vignettes are fascinating, instructive, and diverse. The cases range from fairly clear diagnoses, to more complex presentations (such as when patients with comorbid conditions), to the most difficult cases (when the diagnosis is unclear, the patient has not responded to previous treatment, only limited evidence is available on the correct means of treatment, and/or the patient’s psychopathology occurs in the context of extreme psychosocial stressors).- The book’s final part addresses diagnostic and treatment decision making and includes two chapters on clinical and research issues in the diagnosis and treatment of child psychopathology.
The book’s cross-disciplinary approach makes it appropriate for clinicians and trainees from all disciplines who are involved in treating children and adolescents with mental health problems. DSM-5(R) Casebook and Treatment Guide for Child Mental Health is unparalleled in its engaging style, up-to-date information, and expert, evidence-based guidance in conceptualizing diagnosis and treatment.
DSM helps you make your diagnosis — you cannot select the right type of psychotherapeutic or biological treatments if you don’t know what you are treating. DSM also standardizes diagnoses, so we are all talking about the same thing. Also, DSM is essential for researchers, so they can know what they are testing.
I think this is as clearly written as is possible for a topic of such complexity. I use DSM every day.
Great book with plenty of professional examples…
This book represents quite an evolution in the DSM casebook series. In the past, these books would offer one or two pages of a brief vignette, with diagnostic considerations included at the end. These cases were often frustrating for students, as the information provided was scant, leaving more questions than answers. In most instances, it was difficult to come up with a DSM diagnosis, let alone justify how the decision was made.
This book is a major advance in casebook presentation. There are 31 chapters, most of which focus on DSM diagnoses which can be given to children and adolescents. This not only includes diagnoses such as ADHD, ODD, and Autism, but also Psychotic Disorders, Depression, Non-suicidal Self Injury, Bereavement, Disinhibited Attachment, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Sleep disturbance, Substance use, and Bipolar Disorder.
Consistent with previous editions of DSM casebooks, there are 2-3 pages of background information provided, with emphasis on the client’s current symptoms. As we would hope and expect with a child-focused manual, the chapters also include any known developmental/medical history, family history, and past psychiatric history. This was notably absent in previous editions of the Casebook. The rationale for the DSM 5 diagnosis is then offered, with treatment recommendations provided.
In most instances, the treatment section of the chapters is approached in two ways. One includes psychotherapeutic modalities, while the other addresses psychopharmacologic strategies.
The cases included in the book range from fairly simple matters to highly complex. This makes it useful to include in teaching, which is why I bought the book. The chapters also help the reader gain a good understanding of differential diagnosis. A model for diagnostic decision making is included at the end of the book.
Overall, this book represents a major improvement in the DSM casebook series. I highly recommend this for practitioners who want to learn more about the process of diagnosing and treating mental disorders in children and adolescents.