Principles and Practice of Child and Adolescent Forensic Mental Health: A Comprehensive Guide

When caring for younger patients raises complex legal questions, having trusted answers is crucial. This is why “Principles and Practice of Child and Adolescent Forensic Mental Health” is an essential reference for every clinician’s shelf.

A Timely and Authoritative Source

This book covers a wide range of topics, from child custody to litigation concerns, depositions, and courtroom testimony. It expands on the previous volume, “Principles and Practice of Child and Adolescent Forensic Psychiatry” (winner of the 2003 Manfred S. Guttmacher Award), to address pressing 21st-century concerns such as telepsychiatry and the internet.

The book provides comprehensive coverage of essential topics, including:

• Forensic evaluation
• Psychological screening
• Interviewing children for suspected sexual abuse
• Child custody and juvenile law
• Abuse, neglect, and permanent wardship cases
• Transcultural, transracial, and gay/lesbian parenting and adoption
• The reliability and suggestibility of children’s statements

New Insights and Topics

Many chapters have been entirely rewritten by new authors to provide fresh perspectives on topics such as:

• Special education: introduction to screening instruments and determining a child’s potential need for special education programs and services
• Cultural competence: improving the accuracy and responsiveness of forensic evaluations and minimizing the risk of unjust outcomes
• Youth violence: taxonomy and neurobiology of aggression, prevention of school violence, and juvenile stalkers
• Assessment of violence risk: guidance on confronting problems such as bullying and initiating effective family interventions
• Psychiatric malpractice and professional liability: addressing legal concerns in cases involving minors
• Psychological autopsy: evaluation of the circumstances surrounding pediatric suicides, including types of equivocal deaths and legal issues such as admissibility of the autopsy in court
• The internet: dealing with online threats, emotional and legal consequences of interactions in cyberspace, and child pornography

This comprehensive guide is essential not only for practitioners in psychiatry and mental health but also for attorneys and judges. It provides trusted answers to complex legal questions, helping professionals navigate legal complexities with confidence.

Stay up-to-date with the latest developments in child and adolescent forensic mental health and make informed decisions with this valuable reference.