Abstract
Authors Painter and Scannapieco write that their objective for this book is to “provide a practical guide for social workers in promoting positive mental health in youth from a bio-socio-ecological systems perspective” (p. 6). This is the second edition of their original text which was published in 2015. The book provides a brief overview of common mental health diagnoses found in childhood and adolescence. It includes information regarding prevalence, symptoms, and diagnostic criteria according to the American Psychiatric Association’s (2013) Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.; DSM-5). Also included are common assessment scales and research-supported psychosocial treatments and medications. The strength of the book is the ability for social workers to easily access information on scales and assessments, as well as research-supported treatments and medications for each disorder in one textbook. The description of the mental health concerns the authors chose to highlight are clearly expressed and easy to understand.
The book begins with a foreword from a parent of a child diagnosed with bipolar disorder, in which she describes the challenges faced navigating her child’s treatment and their experience with social workers. Chapters 1 to 4 of the book introduce common frameworks of understanding mental health; the authors discuss the frameworks chosen for the book include ecological systems model, systems of care, strengths-based practice, cultural humility, and research-supported treatment. They discuss the importance of research-supported interventions, the challenges in diagnosing children especially with co-occurring diagnoses, and give an overview of theories of childhood development and trauma.
The book then dedicates one chapter each to describe depressive disorders, anxiety disorders, ADHD, ODD and conduct disorder, bipolar disorders, and schizophrenia spectrum and first-episode psychosis. Statistics are often drawn from the National Institute of Mental Health and United States Department of Human Services, among other American government agencies; therefore, the disorders are described in the context of the United States rather than globally. A case study is provided at the end of these chapters with questions for discussion. Each descriptive chapter is followed by a chapter providing information on the typical treatment for the diagnosis. Common research-supported interventions are described, citing studies for each supporting its effectiveness. It also provides information concerning the common medications used in treatment as well. Finally, the book concludes with a chapter on substance use with co-occurring mental health concerns and a final chapter devoted to addressing mental health in educational settings.
Some formatting choices of the authors did not seem to allow for smooth reading in two sections. Rather than giving eating disorders its own chapter, they included it in the chapter on depressive disorders, allocating just a page each to describe binge-eating, bulimia, and anorexia. Very brief information on autism spectrum disorder (3 pages) was included within the chapter on schizophrenia spectrum. It may have been easier to follow had they allowed these important issues in childhood and adolescence be addressed in their own sections. The authors reasoned that eating disorders were often found to co-occur with depression. While this may be the case, they also cite that ODD and ADHD largely co-occur with each other, “nearly fifty percent of youth with ODD also have ADHD,” but each was given their own chapter (p. 171). They also reason that autism and schizophrenia can co-occur and have shared symptoms. They write that the autism spectrum is not considered a mental health diagnosis by most mental health professionals but do not cite a source of reference. To note, the DSM-5 does include autism spectrum disorder in their diagnoses in the current edition.
A concerning aspect of the book is found in its last chapter on mental health in the educational system. The chapter lists 37 research-supported, school-based interventions selected from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) National Registry of Evidence-Based Programs and Practices (NREPP) from 2014. However, on December 28, 2017, SAMHSA terminated the NREPP contract, and this database of interventions was suspended (Sun & Eilperin, 2018). A statement was released in January 2018 by Dr. McCance-Katz, then the Assistant Secretary of the Office of Mental Health and Substance Use. She stated that SAMHSA should not encourage providers to use NREPP due to its flawed system and poor approach to determine which interventions qualified as evidence-based (SAMHSA, 2018). Currently, SAMHSA’s new program to disseminate research-supported treatment information is the Evidence-Based Practices Resource Center (SAMHSA, 2021). The current site allows users to search by topic, population, target audience, etc. for relevant publications on research-supported practices. A list of NREPP interventions was included in the first edition of this book in 2015 when the NREPP was still functioning. It would have been best if excluded from the new edition given the status of the now suspended and out-of-date database from which the interventions were drawn.
The inclusion of research-supported resources throughout the book, and the authors’ statements about the importance of research-supported use in social work, is an important matter for social work students and practitioners today. Their focus on strengths-based and trauma-informed practice is also valued. The information would likely be helpful to students and social workers working within schools, given its focus on work in educational settings. However, readers should be cautious with the listed interventions provided. It may not include the most up-to-date research-supported practices, given the list of school-based interventions included is from the NREPP database no longer supported or maintained by SAMHSA. As an additional note, the revised DSM-5-TR is planned to be released in early 2022, which may also require updates to this book’s information which draws from the DSM-5.
