Books on Mental Health

In a world where kids are supposed to be quick on the pick-up, over-involved, easily verbal and friend-heavy, a child who's deliberate, thoughtful, slow to warm up and quick to shut down can seem at serious risk. Is your quiet child anxiety-disordered, attention-defective, communication-impaired? Or is she just an introvert who's perfectly happy to be social and attentive, on her own careful terms? Hidden Gifts can help you see what's really going on, and value your child's unique personality. 3 Stars

Ever wondered what goes on in one of those therapeutic boarding schools for troubled teens? Author Marcus takes readers on a 15-month journey with Group 23 at the Academy of Swift River in Massachusetts as they survive wilderness outings, truth-telling sessions, rituals and restrictions, breakthroughs and fallbacks, and a field trip to Costa Rica. It's a tough place to be a fly on the wall. 3 Stars

If your child exhibits odd, frightening, disturbing behavior, casting it as the dark side of genius is certainly more appealing than seeing nothing but damage and doom. The authors, parents of a son with Tourette's, share the strategies and concepts that have worked for them, although "success" is a slippery concept. 2.5 Stars

The book's subtitle says, "Why Millions of Kids Are "Hyper," Attention-Disordered, Learning-Disabled, Depressed, Aggressive, Defiant, or Violent -- and What We Can Do About It," and if the "what we can do about it" part of this slim volume was more of the story than the "why millions of kids are messed up" part, I might have liked it better. By the time Dr. Rimland gets done sharing statistics on widespread brain damage, toxic environments, and medical malpractice, hope seems like kind of an afterthought. 2 Stars