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Start Here: A Parent's Guide to Helping Children and Teens through Mental Health Challenges
From two of the top child and adolescent psychiatrists at The Hospital for Sick Children comes an accessible guide to common mental health struggles, such as anxiety and depression, for any parent wondering how to help their child.
Is my child okay? Is she eating and sleeping enough? Is he hanging out with the right people? Should I be worried that she spends all her time in her room? Is this just a phase? Or a sign of something serious?
As parents, we worry about our children—about their physical health, performance at school, the types of friends they have, and, of course, their mental health. Every day seems to bring new and expanding issues and disorders and troubling statistics about the rise of mental illness in children and teens. It’s usually obvious what to do for physical injuries like broken bones, but when it comes to our children’s mental health, the answers are much less clear, and sometimes even contradictory.
Pier Bryden and Peter Szatmari, top child and adolescent psychiatrists, are here to help. Using their combined six decades working with families and kids—and their own experiences as parents—they break down the stigma of mental health illness and walk parents through the warning signs, risk factors, prevention strategies, and the process of diagnosis and treatment for mental health challenges arising from:
–Eating disorders
–Anxiety
–Psychosis
–Sleep Disorders
–Substance Use Disorders
–ADHD
–Autism
–Depression
–Trauma
–Suicidal thoughts and behaviors
The most important thing to remember as a parent is that you and your child are not alone. Wellness is a continuum, and there is a lot parents can do to bring their child back to a place of safety. The road ahead isn’t always easy or straightforward, but this guidebook offers essential advice that every parent needs to advocate for their child.
Is my child okay? Is she eating and sleeping enough? Is he hanging out with the right people? Should I be worried that she spends all her time in her room? Is this just a phase? Or a sign of something serious?
As parents, we worry about our children—about their physical health, performance at school, the types of friends they have, and, of course, their mental health. Every day seems to bring new and expanding issues and disorders and troubling statistics about the rise of mental illness in children and teens. It’s usually obvious what to do for physical injuries like broken bones, but when it comes to our children’s mental health, the answers are much less clear, and sometimes even contradictory.
Pier Bryden and Peter Szatmari, top child and adolescent psychiatrists, are here to help. Using their combined six decades working with families and kids—and their own experiences as parents—they break down the stigma of mental health illness and walk parents through the warning signs, risk factors, prevention strategies, and the process of diagnosis and treatment for mental health challenges arising from:
–Eating disorders
–Anxiety
–Psychosis
–Sleep Disorders
–Substance Use Disorders
–ADHD
–Autism
–Depression
–Trauma
–Suicidal thoughts and behaviors
The most important thing to remember as a parent is that you and your child are not alone. Wellness is a continuum, and there is a lot parents can do to bring their child back to a place of safety. The road ahead isn’t always easy or straightforward, but this guidebook offers essential advice that every parent needs to advocate for their child.
- GenresParenting
288 pages, Paperback
Published January 28, 2020
5 people are currently reading
66 people want to read
About the author
Pier Bryden
3 books1 followerPier Bryden, MD, is a psychiatrist, clinical teacher, and educator in the Department of Psychiatry at The Hospital for Sick Children, and the pre-clerkship Director of Undergraduate Medical Education and an Associate Professor at the University of Toronto. She is a graduate of the University of Toronto, Oxford University and McMaster University. She has published on ethical and legal aspects of treatment of children and adolescents with psychiatric disorders, as well as professionalism and learning environment in medical education. She is an editor at Ars Medica, an online medical journal; chair of the History of Healthcare Interest Group at the University of Toronto; committee chair at the Medical Council of Canada; and a member of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada’s History and Heritage Committee.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
December 30, 2019
It's no secret that mental health challenges among youth are on the rise; however, it's much easier for us as parents to diagnose (or at least suspect) a broken leg than it is for us to make a decision about depression or an eating disorder.
Star Here attempts to help parents navigate the initial steps towards finding help and supporting your child if there is a mental health issue. Broken into eight sections, Dr. Pier Bryden and Dr. Peter Szatmari use their combined experience to discuss anxiety, substance use disorders, eating disorders, sleep disorders, depression, trauma, suicide, psychosis, ADHD, and autism.
In each section you can find a road map on:
- how to recognize a child in distress
- risk factors
- prevention
- treatment
I thought it is helpful to explicitly describe the differences for each illness between a child in distress and a child going through a developmentally appropriate phase. The authors describe the warning signs to watch for and explain when to seek professional help.
I also thought it was helpful to include so much information on medications. This may feel overwhelming and scary for parents, because if and when to medicate your child is an enormous question. Dr. Bryden and Dr. Szatmari clearly explain when medication can be helpful, what kinds of medication may help each mental illness, when medication may not be the best option, and what other treatments are available either on their own or in conjunction with medication.
I hope that in reading this book, parents see that mental illness isn't anyone's fault and that, when parents are vigilant, there is much they can do to help.
My one criticism for Start Here is that in each scenario presented, the child/teen/school was open to support. However, what strategies are available for families who have children and teens who are not open to treatment? Secondly, at a time when budgets are constantly being cut, what tools and language can we give parents to walk into a school and advocate for their children?
This isn't a book everyone needs to read, but it is one to look though if you start to have questions about your child's mental health.
Star Here attempts to help parents navigate the initial steps towards finding help and supporting your child if there is a mental health issue. Broken into eight sections, Dr. Pier Bryden and Dr. Peter Szatmari use their combined experience to discuss anxiety, substance use disorders, eating disorders, sleep disorders, depression, trauma, suicide, psychosis, ADHD, and autism.
In each section you can find a road map on:
- how to recognize a child in distress
- risk factors
- prevention
- treatment
I thought it is helpful to explicitly describe the differences for each illness between a child in distress and a child going through a developmentally appropriate phase. The authors describe the warning signs to watch for and explain when to seek professional help.
I also thought it was helpful to include so much information on medications. This may feel overwhelming and scary for parents, because if and when to medicate your child is an enormous question. Dr. Bryden and Dr. Szatmari clearly explain when medication can be helpful, what kinds of medication may help each mental illness, when medication may not be the best option, and what other treatments are available either on their own or in conjunction with medication.
I hope that in reading this book, parents see that mental illness isn't anyone's fault and that, when parents are vigilant, there is much they can do to help.
My one criticism for Start Here is that in each scenario presented, the child/teen/school was open to support. However, what strategies are available for families who have children and teens who are not open to treatment? Secondly, at a time when budgets are constantly being cut, what tools and language can we give parents to walk into a school and advocate for their children?
This isn't a book everyone needs to read, but it is one to look though if you start to have questions about your child's mental health.
November 19, 2021
I only flipped through this book and there are a BUNCH of red flags that lead me to not recommend this to anyone.
Firstly, trauma is lumped in with depression and suicidal thoughts. Sometimes, they come together. Sometimes they don't. CBT is listed as a therapy for the aforementioned things, but there is no reference to somatic therapies, EMDR, or IFS.
The section on ADHD makes no mention of the inattentive type of ADHD. This book was published in 2020. The DSMV diagnostic criteria that distinguishes between primarily inattentive ADHD and primarily hyperactive ADHD was published in 2013. Medical doctors should know about this. Especially if they're writing a book advising parents about ADHD.
And finally, the biggest red flag of them all: They recommend ABA therapy for autistic children. This alone is enough for me to categorically recommend that you never buy this book. Many, many autistic adults have spoken up about the harm of ABA, which is ultimately abusive and ineffective. Any book or doctor that promotes ABA clearly has not listened to the community they purport to help.
Firstly, trauma is lumped in with depression and suicidal thoughts. Sometimes, they come together. Sometimes they don't. CBT is listed as a therapy for the aforementioned things, but there is no reference to somatic therapies, EMDR, or IFS.
The section on ADHD makes no mention of the inattentive type of ADHD. This book was published in 2020. The DSMV diagnostic criteria that distinguishes between primarily inattentive ADHD and primarily hyperactive ADHD was published in 2013. Medical doctors should know about this. Especially if they're writing a book advising parents about ADHD.
And finally, the biggest red flag of them all: They recommend ABA therapy for autistic children. This alone is enough for me to categorically recommend that you never buy this book. Many, many autistic adults have spoken up about the harm of ABA, which is ultimately abusive and ineffective. Any book or doctor that promotes ABA clearly has not listened to the community they purport to help.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews