Adolescent Psychiatry Developmental and Clinical Studies Annals of the American Society for Adolescent Psychiatry

Launched in 1971, Adolescent Psychiatry, in the words of founding coeditors Sherman C. Feinstein, Peter L. Giovacchini, and Arthur A. Miller, promised "to explore adolescence as a process . . . to enter challenging and exciting areas that may have profound effects on our basic concepts." Further, they promised "a series that will provide a forum for the expression of ideas and problems that plague and excite so many of us working in this enigmatic but fascinating field." For over two decades,Adolescent Psychiatryhas fulfilled this promise. The repository of a wealth of original studies by preeminent clinicians, developmental researchers, and social scientists specializing in this stage of life, the series has become an essential resource for all mental health practitioners working with youth. Volume 24 of The Annals surveys four broad areas of adolescent psychiatry that speak to the challenges and opportunities now before the field. Part I offers three important reassessments of adolescent development; they focus, respectively, on separation-individuation theory, the interpersonal matrix of adolescence, and the psychology of belonging. Part II explores the future of child and adolescent psychiatry in the context of school-based mental health services. Several assessments of ongoing school-based mental health clinics provide the context for reflection on the future of school-based delivery systems. Part III examines forensic issues in adolescent psychiatry and includes an overview of forensic psychiatry for adolescent psychiatrists, an update on juvenile justice, and a review of the issue of competence in adolescents. Finally, Part IV offers a series of current perspectives on psychopharmacology in relation to adolescence. Contributors review the current status of pharmacological treatment of different adolescent populations, including adolescents with behavior disorders, affective disorders, anxiety disorders, pervasive developmental disorders, and psychosis. The volume concludes with a timely examination of the role of psychiatric consultation on an adolescent medical service. In summary, Volume 24 conveys the theoretical and clinical vitality of adolescent psychiatry in 1999. It is a portrait of a specialty hard at work, broadening its understanding of developmental issues, reflecting thoughtfully on the role of modern psychopharmacology among its treatment strategies, and expanding its knowledge base to accommodateEsman, Aaron H. is the author of 'Adolescent Psychiatry Developmental and Clinical Studies Annals of the American Society for Adolescent Psychiatry' with ISBN 9780881631982 and ISBN 0881631981.