Handbook of Adolescent Behavioral Problems: Evidence-Based Approaches to Prevention and Treatment

The Second Edition of the Handbook of Adolescent Behavioral Problems clarifies the current state of treatment and prevention through comprehensive examinations of mental disorders and dysfunctional behaviors as well as the varied forces affecting their development. New or revised chapters offer a basic framework for approaching mental health concerns in youth and provide the latest information on how conditions (e.g., bipolar disorder, suicidality, and OCD) and behaviors (e.g., sex offenses, gang activities, dating violence, and self-harm) manifest in adolescents. Each chapter offers diagnostic guidance, up-to-date findings on prevalence, biological/genetic aspects, risk and resilience factors, and a practical review of prevention and treatment methods. Best-practice recommendations clearly differentiate among what works, what might work, what doesn't work, and what needs further research across modalities, including pharmacotherapy.

Key topics addressed include:

• Families and adolescent development.
• Adolescent mental health and the DSM-5.
• Oppositional Defiant Disorder and Conduct Disorder.
• Autism spectrum disorder.
• Media and technology addiction.
• School failure versus school success.
• Bullying and cyberbullying.

The Second Edition of the Handbook of Adolescent Behavior Problems is a must-have reference for researchers, clinicians, allied practitioners and professionals, and graduate students in school and clinical child psychology, education, pediatrics, psychiatry, social work, school counseling, and public health.

Thomas P. Gullotta is C.E.O. of Child and Family Agency and is a member of the psychology and education departments at Eastern Connecticut State University. He is the senior author of the 4th edition of The Adolescent Experience, co-editor of The Encyclopedia of Primary Prevention and Health Promotion, and editor emeritus of the Journal of Primary Prevention. He is the senior book series editor for Issues in Children's and Families' Lives. He has published extensively on young people and primary prevention. In 1999, Tom was honored by the Society for Community Research and Action, Division 27 of the American Psychological Association with their Distinguished Contributions to Practice in Community Psychology Award.

Robert W. Plant, Ph.D. is a licensed clinical psychologist and the Senior Vice President for Quality and Innovation at Value Options - CT Behavioral Health Partnership. Dr. Plant received his doctorate from The University of Rochester and has been an adjunct member of the faculty at Yale University Medical School since 2003. Over the last twenty years he has overseen the management of mental health services and service systems and has been a major contributor to the dissemination of evidence based practices in Connecticut. Dr. Plant is expert in the development of performance improvement programs for behavioral health. 

Melanie A. Evans, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor of Psychology at Eastern Connecticut State University. She earned her M.S. and Ph.D. from Syracuse University and A.B. from Vassar College. Her research interests broadly revolve around child and adolescent development in diverse cultures (e.g., African American, Caribbean immigrant) and contexts (e.g., school and extra-curricular settings, family relationships). Much of her research has focused on factors (e.g., individual, family) that impact academic outcomes for adolescents.