"A Parent's Guide to Starting Psychiatric Medications for Kids" is written in combination by three Medical Doctors to provide information to parents who are weighing the pros and cons of the use of psychiatric medications to help their children cope with mental health symptoms. The authors state that their main goal of this book is to empower parents to ask their providers all of the necessary information to ensure that parents feel comfortable and confident when moving forward with use of psychiatric medications. The format of this guide is question-and-answer style, with each chapter containing multiple commonly asked questions related to the use of psychiatric medications for children, followed by the authors' responses and insight. I appreciated the inclusion of the process of children's medications becoming "approved", a section which includes multiple commonly asked questions by parents. Common terminology is also explained in easy-to-digest language, including terms some parents may not be familiar with, such as "half-life", "efficacy", "titration", and more.

The book then focuses on 3 major categorizations of medications, including: Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) medications, Antidepressant and Antianxiety Medications, and Antipsychotic and Mood-Stabilizing Medications. Although this information fits into just 3 sections, it is a very comprehensive look at the most commonly used medications for the most commonly presenting symptoms in child and adolescent psychiatric clinics. I was impressed that this book included diagrams and thorough scientific (yet, relatively easy to comprehend) descriptions of the mechanism of action for most of the medications that are covered in the book. These portions show and describe exactly how the medications are working in and impacting the brain. This information may be important for many families to comprehend, but missing from typical evaluations with providers. Overall, I found this book to be a very helpful and comprehensive guide. As a child/adolescent mental health provider, I would recommend this book as a resource to parents. It will be interesting to see if this guide continues to be updated with new versions as medications continue to grow and our knowledge expands!

Thank you to NetGalley and Familius for providing me with an early ARC digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!

Thank you so much to Familius and NetGalley for the ebook to read and review.

In "A Parent's Guide to Starting Psychiatric Medications for Kids," a team of impeccably trained child psychiatrists offer parents a concise guide to the several mental health and developmental-behavioral conditions, specifically: ADHD, anxiety, depression, or autism

They offer specific and excellent material to help parents build a foundation of knowledge. The book is highly concise and won't overwhelm parents. The book is well laid out. Each section covers a separate illness. The authors compiled the list of front line medications for those illnesses and explain common side effects. They also recommend specific questions for parents to ask their child's doctor.

This book will hugely benefit parents, whether or not they are already familiar with these diagnoses and current medical treatments.