For all busy health care professionals who work with troubled children and adolescents with behavioural and emotional problems. Presented in a concise, practical and accessible guide to the assessment and treatment of the child in distress.

The first section offers a bird's eye view of psychiatric disorder, including definitions, demography, aetiology and assessment. Section two describes the clinical picture of the more common disorders and overviews their treatment. The finer details of the most commonly used treatments are presented in section three.

The style is jargon free and to the point, with an emphasis on management with tips on what to say to families.