IACAPAP Textbook of Child and Adolescent Mental Health

The e-textbook from the International Association for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Allied Professions (IACAPAP), freely available online, is an easily accessible e-book for any professional working in the field of child and adolescent mental health. In the book, world authorities in child and adolescent psychiatry cover diverse topics from the clinical assessment and development of children and youths to major psychiatric disorders. The book also covers some cultural, social, legal, and administrative aspects of this field.

Reviewing the chapter on bipolar disorder, I found basic concepts, clear and updated information, and tables that allow readers to readily appreciate the content. In addition, the authors suggest illustrative and valuable links to videos of authorities in bipolar disorder and to other documentaries, which exquisitely complement and deepen the text. In this way, reading becomes easy, concise, and enjoyable. The chapter on attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) accurately covers the main literature on the subject, illustrating the evolution of ADHD throughout life, explaining the different presentations of the disorder, and also covering current controversies about ADHD. Once again, the suggested links to expert videos, guidelines from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, and other materials make it a versatile and very novel chapter.

In general, the manner in which this book has been developed makes it a good basic text to support the teaching of future psychiatrists. Some sections also contain self-assessment questions to reinforce knowledge, and some offer additional teaching material such as downloadable PowerPoint presentations, “ready to go” material to teach future generations. Some chapters have been translated into French, Portuguese, Japanese, Spanish, Russian, and Hebrew. This strength is in turn a huge challenge for the future: to cover different languages ​​in all chapters.

The intention of Joseph M. Rey to develop a high-quality, innovative, didactic textbook of child infant mental health and to reach various countries of the world is well fulfilled through this effort of the IACAPAP.