Concise Guide to the Psychiatric Interview of Children and Adolescents

From our regular book review column.

What is a "concise guide"? As part of the publishers’ Concise Guides series for clinical practice, this work at first glance fits the bill. It also fits into a pocket, and its price is easy on the pocketbook. The table of contents and back cover present a quick and accurate view of what’s inside. But is it concise? Given the breadth of this volume on psychiatric interviewing of children and adolescents, I think not. There are 72 case examples, which add a touch of South Texas and the military influence prevalent in the author’s San Antonio environs. Then there are 29 tables and various figures illustrating the key concepts contained in the 11 chapters.