No Method to the Madness: Making Sense of the Psychiatric Treatment of our Youth

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Description

This book critically examines the current U.S. mental health treatment of children and adolescents, with a focus on diagnoses and use of psychotropic medications to address emotional and behavioral concerns. Based on decades of research and author Robert M. Foltz's more than 35-year career as a clinical psychologist, No Method to the Madness thoroughly reviews the research on diagnostic processes; medications, including stimulants for ADHD, antidepressants, and antipsychotics; and the powerful role that traumatic experiences can play. Designed for clinicians, mental health students, policy makers, and parents, this book offers integrative counseling strategies and suggestions as alternatives to the first-resort medical model to optimize outcomes for our youth and families.

Reviews

"We have had a mental health crisis for youth in our country for many years and the pandemic "pulled back the curtain" and exacerbated these conditions. As we move forward with attempts to manage this crisis, we cannot do more of the same. Dr. Foltz raises important questions and issues that have been whispered about in youth treatment circles for decades. This discussion may help give voice to those of us who agree that we have over-medicated and over-diagnosed youth because we have failed to employ interventions that embrace each child as unique." --Marcia Ford, Washington University

"Existing treatment modalities are not meeting current treatment of youths with mental health considerations. This text proposes a new way of conceptualizing the diagnosis and treatment of youth using a trauma-informed lens to meet the needs of this emerging population." --Katherine Hermann-Turner, Tennessee Tech University

Author Bio

Robert Foltz, PsyD, is a Clinical Psychologist and Associate Professor of Clinical Psychology at The Chicago School with over 35 years of experience in the field, including inpatient, residential, and outpatient services. Throughout his career, he has focused on more severe conditions in young people, working as a clinician and administrator in residential treatment centers and maintaining a private practice. He has been teaching graduate students in psychology since 2009. Courses he teaches include Psychopathology, Pediatric Psychopharmacology (the use of psychiatric medications in children and adolescents), Foundations in Research and Practice, Trauma-Informed Care, Psychotherapy strategies, and Ethics in Psychology.