This is a comprehensive volume on issues and concerns relating to child and adolescent mental health in Asia, which includes contributions from experts in child psychiatry from Asia and other parts of the world. The chapters provide accurate and detailed accounts of the current state of knowledge integrating research approaches and findings from clinical studies. Each chapter discusses existing information, emphasizes areas of growth and provides fresh insights on a particular topic especially as these might relate to Asian populations. The book integrates various clinical and scientific perspectives on psychiatric disorders in children and adolescents with a focus on Asia.
The various sections deal with important topics in child and adolescent psychiatry: the current understanding of mental disorders and the ways in which possible influences might work in the development of psychopathology; substance use disorders, their neurobiological correlates and implications for the developing brain; early environmental influences in the psychopathology of psychiatric disorders in children; issues of parenting, child rearing and cultural practices in Asia, which influence personality development and adaptation; life-long impact of early parental loss; early diagnosis and intervention in recognizing and treating psychopathology; psychopharmacology of neurodevelopmental disorders in children; non-pharmacological treatments for children; mental health gap, and telepsychiatry as an innovative model to provide services for children; and a pressing need for a comprehensive child mental health policy across nations.
Savita Malhotra (MD, PhD, FAMS) is Professor of Psychiatry, Dean and Head, Department of Psychiatry, Drug Deaddiction and Treatment Center, and Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, India. She has over four decades of experience in psychiatry and child psychiatry in India. She has made pioneering contributions to the development and establishment of services and the academic discipline of child psychiatry in India through teaching, research and advocacy. She is a recognized leader and resource person in mental health and child mental health in India and the world. Her areas of expertise include temperament of children, epidemiology of child psychiatric disorders, childhood disintegrative disorders and telepsychiatry. She is a recipient of many academic awards and recognitions at the national and international levels. Dr Malhotra has published over 250 research papers and book chapters, and eight books. She is a Life Fellow of the Indian Psychiatric Society, Indian Association for Social Psychiatry, and Indian Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health. She is a Life President Indian Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health, and Past President of Indian Association for Social Psychiatry. She is also the immediate Past President of the Asian Society for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Allied Professions, and Board Member of the Child Psychiatry Section of the World Psychiatric Association.
Paramala Santosh (MD, DipNB, PhD, FRCPsych) is a Consultant Child & Adolescent Psychiatrist who has dually trained in psychiatry from India and the United Kingdom. He has developed and heads the Centre for Interventional Paediatric Psychopharmacology and Rare Diseases (CIPPRD) at Maudsley Hospital, London, UK and is a Visiting Reader at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neurosciences (IoPPN), King’s College London, UK. He also runs a clinic at Tadworth Children's Trust, England, for Paediatric Neurorehabilitation, and is recognized as an international expert on developmental psychopharmacology, neuropsychiatry, attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorders (ASD), intellectual disability, paediatric neurodegeneration, suicidality, and digital health technology. He has conducted research into the overlap of ASD, ADHD, and bipolar disorder; psychopharmacology and rare diseases in the context of Rett syndrome, mucopolysaccharidoses, septo-optic dysplasia, and other rare diseases. He is also recognized as an expert in the field of assessment and management of complex treatment-resistant co-occurring disorders. He has been involved in developing eHealth platforms such as the HealthTrackerTM and has demonstrated the use of wearable sensor technology in routine clinical care. He is a principal investigator in multiple on-going multinational and national research projects funded by the European Union, and the National Institute of Health Research, UK. He is a regular internationally invited speaker and has over 100 research publications.
