Description
Book Synopsis"Making and Breaking Children's Lives" examines how children are hurt in modern society. We hear about the effects of early abandonment, abuse and lack of attachment, but find that children's experiences are sanitised through medical diagnoses and frequently the 'help' offered is prescription drugs. In this challenging book a plurality of voices returns to one consistent theme - the importance of psychosocial context, which become increasingly dismissed as being irrelevant in the rush to label and prescribe. However, there is hope - the final section describes inspiring examples of how services and communities can be developed to give children and their families a chance to prosper - evidence that there is nothing inevitable about the breaking of children's lives.
Trade ReviewMore and more children are being caught up in the mental health system. One sign of this is the increased use in the UK of the diagnosis Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD ) - Another is the widespread prescribing of the stimulant Ritalin as a treatment. Making and Breaking Children's Lives confronts this situation head on, offering a robust critique and advocating a holistic approach to children's problems where psychosocial context is given greater prominence. Peter Campbell, Openmind (UK) March/April 2006. This is a timely, and extremely relevant publication. Currently there is a lot of earnest activity involved in organising, reorganising and improving services to children - This collection draws our attention to some of the most pressing issues. Readers will be challenged a provoked into clarifying their own positions. Let us hope that clarification does not lead to calcification! John Burnham, Consultant Systemic Family Psychotherapist.
Table of ContentsForeword: Oliver James Introduction Nick Radcliffe and Craig Newnes Part One: Childhood 1. Gerrilyn Smith: Constructions of childhood 2. Grace Jackson: Cybernetic children 3. Jonathan Calder: Histories of child abuse 4. Elina Baker and Craig Newnes: The discourse of responsibility. 5. Arlene Vetere: The effects of domestic violence. Part Two: Problematizing children. 6. Freddy Brown: Scientific narratives and ADHD. 7. Dorothy Rowe: ADHD - Adults' fear of frightened children. 8. Sami Timimi and Nick Radcliffe: The rise and rise of ADHD 9. Geraldine Brady: ADHD and identity. Part Three: Appreciating families 10. Helen Rostill and Helen Myatt: Constructing meaning in the lives of looked after children 11. Katherine Weare: The holistic approach 12. Raj Bandak: Empowering vulnerable children and families 13. Carl Harris: Family well-being: A community approach 14. Bliss.W.Browne; Imagine Chicago: Cultivating hope and imagination
