Summary

SERIES COPY:The Adolescent Mental Health Initiative series addresses some of the major mental health issues facing teenagers today--eating disorders, anxiety disorders, depression, and schizophrenia. Of the books planned for the series, the first four, including the two presented here, focus on how parents and other adults, including teachers, coaches, guidance counselors, and even pediatricians, can help afflicted teens overcome the disrupting and often devastating challenges of these disorders. Each book is an authoritative guide that offers essential information such as how to go about getting a diagnosis, what the latest treatment options and prevention strategies are, how to help teens cope with mental illness at home and at school and, perhaps most importantly, what the warning signs and red flags are that parents and other adults should look out for in teenagers who may be at risk for these diseases. Combining the expertise of leading psychiatrists and psychologists with the experience of everyday people who have faced these disorders in their own children, the books are designed to help adults deal effectively with adolescent mental illness and to empower them to act immediately and wisely in getting teens the best available treatment possible. Growing up can be stressful for any teenager, but it is considerably harder for the many adolescents who develop an anxiety disorder. This book is an essential guide for parents, teachers, or other adults involved with teenagers who may be affected by these disorders. By bringing together two strands of expertise-that of mental health professionals and of parents who have lived through the experience of their own teenager's mental illness--If Your Adolescent Has an Anxiety Disorder provides adult readers with the clinical information and practical advice they need to understand and help the teen. There are chapters detailing four of the different types of anxiety disorders, including social anxiety, generalized anxiety, obsessive-compulsive, and post-traumatic stress disorders. Each includes a clearly written definition, a discussion of factors that can contribute to developing the disorder, treatment information, and case studies based on a real family's own experience with the disease. Tips and quotes from parents are sprinkled liberally throughout the text, and helpful sidebars provide more detailed information. The authors also provide a chapter fully dedicated to discussing treatment options, including what role parents play in treatment, how to juggle treatment and school, and how to handle insurance and managed care issues Knowing the right information about anxiety disorders is the first step towards helping adolescents who are dealing with them grow to become healthy, happy adults