The papers included in this volume highlight research and practice in child and adolescent mental health from around the world. As systems of care are different across countries and cultures, it is imperative that knowledge is shared and lessons learned. The biennial Elsevier conference on Child and Adolescent Mental Health is designed to provide a forum for mental health and educational experts from various disciplines and countries.

There has been a major shift in the way we conceptualize and provide services to children and adolescents with mental health needs. We are moving away from the traditional disorder-oriented model of treatment to a child-centered, family-focused service delivery system that mandates mental health services in the context of the child's family and social ecology. This new system of care has spawned many variations of the model, including wraparound services, multisystemic treatment (MST), futures planning, and person-centred planning. As systems of care are different across countries and cultures, it is imperative that we share our knowledge and make explicit the lessons we have learned in our attempts to provide services to children and adolescents which focus on improving their quality of life rather than merely treating their psychiatric disorders and psychological problems. There is an urgent need to evaluate the various treatments being offered to children and adolescents with mental health needs. Empirical date on outcomes will determine the funding and delivery of services. As such, the latest research on treatment outcomes needs to be disseminated so that new and validated treatment methods can be implemented rapidly.

The papers included in this volume highlight research and practice in child and adolescent mental health from around the world. As systems of care are different across countries and cultures, it is imperative that knowledge is shared and lessons learned. The biennial Elsevier conference on Child and Adolescent Mental Health is designed to provide a forum for mental health and educational experts from various disciplines and countries.

International Perspectives on Child & Adolescent Mental Health.

This unprecedented set examines the most prominent factors that harm or support healthy development in children outside the United States, from abuse and economics to social injustice and poor public policy. In International Perspectives on Children and Mental Health, expert contributors from around the world examine the forces affecting the psychological well-being of children in regions worldwide. They consider such factors as family conditions and economic status, including single parents, poverty, disease, war, child abuse, substance abuse in the home, and a loss of community stability. And they look at political, religious, national, and global matters, including racism and class inequality. Since education is key to children's success, the essays consider these factors largely in the context of how they affect educational readiness and academic adjustment. Volume 1 of the set considers development and context, while volume 2 focuses on prevention and treatment. Specific examples enable readers to better understand the often-horrific challenges to child development and mental health across nations. But the work is not limited to exploring problems. It also looks at various programs and actions that mitigate risks, helping children to be mentally healthy despite the odds.

This handbook addresses universal developmental and cultural factors contributing to child and adolescent mental health and well-being across the globe. It examines sociocultural contexts of development and identifies children's and adolescents' perspectives as critical to understanding and promoting their psychological well-being. It details the Promoting Psychological Well-Being Globally project’s methodology for data collection and analysis, provides cross-cultural analyses of its findings, and offers a practical model for clinicians and other professionals seeking to apply this knowledge to real-life settings. Featured topics include: Sexual health, gender roles, and psychological well-being in India. Psychological well-being as a new educational boundary in Italy. Mapping psychological well-being in Romania. Youth perspectives on contributing factors to psychological well-being in Sri Lanka. Culturally specific res ilience and vulnerability in Tanzania. Longing for a balanced life – the voices of Chinese-American/immigrant youth in the United States. The International Handbook of Psychological Well-Being in Children and Adolescents: Bridging the Gaps Between Theory, Research, and Practice is an invaluable resources for researchers, clinicians, scientist-practitioners, and graduate students in child and school psychology, social work, public health, positive psychology, educational policy and politics, and maternal and child health.

Mental distress is not exclusive to any particular group but touches the lives of people in all societies and walks of life; one in four of us will be affected by it in our lifetime. Yet the field of mental health is complex – fraught with differences in understanding and experience, variations in service provision, political agendas and professional discourses. This wide-ranging book explores a range of themes in the development of mental health policy and practice, in order to promote critical reflection and enhance understanding. Drawing on an international evidence base, it explores the historical, legal and socio-cultural dimensions of mental health, including: - Anti-discriminatory practice and the ethical tensions posed by legislation, particularly in relation to safeguarding and human rights - Trends and concerns in the field of child and adolescent mental health - The gender, ethnicity and age-related dimensions of mental ill-health - The challenges posed by dual diagnosis and faced by families and carers International Perspectives on Mental Health offers a multi-dimensional view of mental health and wellbeing, with the aim of opening up debate and inviting a more holistic conception of the field. It is required reading for students of mental health on professional and academic courses, as well as for practitioners in the health and social care field.

This book provides a broad international perspective on the psychological trauma faced by children and adolescents exposed to major disasters, and on the local public health response to their needs. An outstanding quality of the book is that it draws upon the experience of local researchers, clinicians, and public mental health practitioners who dedicated themselves to these children in the wake of overwhelming events. The chapters address exemplary responses to a wide variety of trauma types, including severe weather, war, industrial catastrophes, earthquakes, and terrorism. Because disasters do not recognize geographic, economic, or political boundaries, the chapters have been selected to reflect the diverse global community’s attempt to respond to vulnerable children in the most challenging times. The book, thus, examines a diverse range of healthcare systems, cultural settings, mental health infrastructure, government policies, and the economic factors that have played an important role in responses to traumatic events. The ultimate goal of this book is to stimulate future international collaborations and interventions that will promote children’s mental health in the face of disaster.