Pier Bryden - Start Here: A Parents Guide to Helping Children and Teens through Mental Health Challenges

Start Here

A Parent's Guide to Helping Children and Teens through Mental Health Challenges

From The Hospital for Sick Children and CAMH Psychiatrists Pier Bryden, MD and Peter Szatmari, MD

Praise for

START HERE

I believe mental health in children is more important than dental health. Id much rather my child have no problems coping than no cavities. This book shows parents what they can do to help their kids.

Howie Mandel, comedian, actor, and Bell Lets Talk ambassador

As a parent who watched and supported my child, who experienced bullying and the emotional struggles that came with it, Im grateful for Start Herea resource for parents to understand mental health concerns and how to recognize them early, with strategies to support mental health within the home.

Katherine Hay, president and CEO of Kids Help Phone

Having watched several friends navigate various mental health concerns with their children, I know that Start Here is such an important resource not only for parents but also anyone who has a close relationship with a child in their lives. By showing us what signs of potential mental illness to watch forand what we can do to helpthis book is a step towards a healthier future for us all.

Cynthia Loyst, cohost of CTVs The Social and author of Find Your Pleasure

When youre desperate to find support for your child, navigating the mental health landscape can be challenging and overwhelming. Start Here is a thoughtful, evidence-based, and highly readable guide to both understanding mental health challenges and finding the strategies and resources to helpa game changer for parents.

Sandra Hanington and Eric Windeler, cofounders of Jack.org

A front door to understanding the uncertain, bewildering, and sometimes frightening challenges that our children face in terms of mental health. The authors, both seasoned child psychiatrists, provide helpful and hopeful plain-language explanations of common and less common mental disorders and the types of treatment that can make a significant difference, while reminding parents to trust their instincts if they are worried, to focus on understanding and help rather than blame, and to realize that they are not alone.

David S. Goldbloom, OC, MD, FRCPC, senior medical advisor at CAMH and bestselling coauthor of How Can I Help?: A Week in My Life as a Psychiatrist

This concise, welcoming, and approachable book helps all of us develop a better understanding of mental disorders that occur in young people. It should be a must-read for parents and all those who care about our children.

The Honorable Stanley Kutcher, MD, former director of the World Health Organization Collaborating Centre at Dalhousie University

For any parent who has concerns about the mental health of a child (and, at one time or another, who hasnt?), this is a must-have book. Easy to read and informed by both practical experience and solid research, Start Here is written in a clear and respectful way, respectful of the child in crisis and respectful of his or her parents. And best of all, it puts the family at the center, conveying accurately that a suffering child needs strong family support to surmount his or her difficulties and families need to know how to understand what is happening and how to be there to help.

Landon Pearson, OC, former Canadian senator and childrens rights advocate

This book provides direction for parents and caregivers, and instills a sense of hope and optimism that if a child has a mental illness, there is treatment available to help the child and family manage successfully.

Jana Davidson, MD, FRCPC, psychiatrist-in-chief at BC Childrens Hospital and head of the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry program at the University of British Columbia

As a psychologist, I regularly consult with parents who are feeling overwhelmed and concerned about what to do and where to go to properly assess and treat their childrens mental health needs. In Start Here, Doctors Bryden and Szatmari share their knowledge with empathy and compassionnot only as psychiatrists at one of the worlds leading hospitals for children but as parents themselves. Ill be recommending this book to parents.

Sara Dimerman, psychologist and bestselling author

An excellent and much-needed resource for parents. Written in clear and accessible language with clinical vignettes as the focus, this book provides answers and practical advice to assist parents in recognizing when their child needs help and learning how and where to find it. A must-read for any parent grappling with mental health issues in their children.

Harriet MacMillan, CM, MD, MSc, FRCPC, founding director of the Child Advocacy and Assessment Program at McMaster Childrens Hospital

ALSO BY PIER BRYDEN, MD

How Can I Help?: A Week in My Life as a Psychiatrist, with David Goldbloom, MD

ALSO BY PETER SZATMARI, MD

A Mind Apart: Understanding Children with Autism and Asperger Syndrome

Simon & Schuster Canada

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Copyright 2020 by Pier Bryden, MD, and Peter Szatmari, MD

This publication contains the opinions and ideas of its authors. It is intended to provide helpful and informative material on the subjects addressed in the publication. It is sold with the understanding that the authors and publisher are not engaged in rendering medical, health, or any other kind of personal professional services in the book. The information provided in the book is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, treatment, or care. The reader should consult his or her medical, health, or other competent professional before adopting any of the suggestions in this book or drawing inferences from it. The presentation of information in this book does not establish a physician-patient relationship between you and the authors and is not intended as a solicitation of individuals to become patients or clients of the authors. This book does not endorse the use of any specific therapies, medications, or drug products, with respect to which guidance of a medical, health, or other professional should be sought at all times.

The authors and publisher specifically disclaim all responsibility and any liability for damages, loss, or risk, personal or otherwise, which is incurred as a consequence, directly or indirectly, of the acts, omissions, or conduct of any third party in the course of use and application of, or inability to use or apply, any of the contents of this book. The foregoing limitations of liability will apply even if the authors or publisher knew or ought to have known of the possibility of such damages.

The cases discussed in this book are composites. None of the children and adolescents described in them are actual patients, nor are their parents or families based on real individuals. Any resemblance to any real individual or family described in this book is entirely coincidental.

All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. For information, address Simon & Schuster Canada Subsidiary Rights Department, 166 King Street East, Suite 300, Toronto, Ontario, M5A 1J3.