Stuart M. Finch

The Boy Who Couldn't Stop Washing: The Experience and Treatment of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

This book, written by a nationally and internationally known child psychiatrist, deals with her and her teams experience at the National Institute of Mental Health with the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Obsessions as defined in DSM-IIIR (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders , third edition, revised) are: recurrent, persistent, ideas, thoughts, images or impulses that are ego-dystonic, that is, they are not experienced as voluntarily produced but rather as thoughts that invade consciousness and are experienced as senseless or repugnant. Attempts are made to ignore or suppress them by the patient. Compulsions are repetitive and seemingly purposeful behaviors that are performed according to certain rules or in a stereotypal fashion. The behavior is not an end in itself, but is designed to produce or prevent some future event or situation. However, the activity is not connected in a realistic way with what it is designed to produce or prevent,

Pediatrics, Neurology, and Psychiatry— Common Ground: Behavioral, Cognitive, Affective, and Physical Disorders in Childhood and Adolescence

ABSTRACT Pediatrics, Neurology, and Psychiatry—Common Ground is a greatsounding title. Three specialties working together on complex medical problems is a dream seldom realized. This book, written by two child neurologists and a consultant in child psychiatry, reflects some of the problems.The book has three main parts. The first, General Considerations, deals briefly with the suggestion that all three disciplines work together and then reviews in more depth the central and peripheral nervous systems. Part 2, Major Clinical Problems, covers 17 subjects, from autism, depression, hysteria, behavioral regression, enuresis, hyperactivity, memory problems, mental retardation, and learning problems to drug abuse and the dying child. The various chapters in part 2 have the same format, namely, diagnosis, differential diagnosis, etiology, treatment, and prognosis. Each has a section on correlation, including anatomic, biochemical, and physiological aspects of the particular problem. Numerous graphs and case histories are used throughout. Part 3, the conclusion, is

Pediatric Psychology: An Introduction for Pediatricians and Psychologists

While the main thrust of this book is to define the role of the psychologist working in a pediatric setting, it should be of interest to any professional who deals with children in or out of the area of emotionally or physically ill children and adolescents. The chapter on the major theories, namely, cognitive, psychoanalytic, and behavioral, is well done and, as with all sections, the references are extensive and thorough. The cognitive theory as originated by Piaget postulates various stages through which the thinking proceeds. The theory is replete with its own terms, but once these are mastered it contributes substantially to our understanding of the development of cognitive function. The psychoanalytic theory of which Freud was the founder stresses the various stages of psychosexual development. Its main focus is on the cause and treatment of emotional problems, including those that are unconscious. The behaviorist theory is based primarily

The Psychoanalytic Study of the Child

Volume 34 of the Psychoanalytic Study of the Child lives up to the excellent reputation built by its predecessors. The title may suggest an esoteric volume on an even more esoteric subject. However, many physicians, even though few have psychoanalyzed a child or adolescent, may wish to know more about this approach to medicine and what its practical application could be. The first section is devoted to the development of blind children, with emphasis on not only the psychological adjustment of the child but also the problems parents may face in relating to a blind infant. There follows a section Theoretical Contributions, which includes a particularly useful chapter on the analytic theory of cognitive development. Although Piaget has long been considered the primary expert on cognitive development, this chapter adds new and important ideas about conscious and unconscious effects on cognitive development that Piaget did not specifically address. In the

Child Development: Analysis and Synthesis

Written by a pediatrician, this book covers various aspects of the childs development from infancy through adolescence. It is divided into three parts, The World of Children as Seen by Adults, The World as Seen Through the Eyes of Children, and Synthesis. Part 1 contains material on neurological aspects and a good summary of various schools of thought such as those pioneered by Freud, Piaget, Erikson, and Luquet. Since the author has a special interest in childrens drawings, the book has many illustrations as they relate to neurological, emotional, and cognitive phases. He stresses the need to allow children to enjoy expression through art. He believes that all too often adults intrude too early with attempts to teach, and thus they destroy spontaneity. One of several excellent chapters in part 2 is the section on creativity, where the author writes: The creativity in every child should find encouragement during these

Delinquency and Psychopathology

Written by a child psychiatrist, a psychologist, and a social worker, this book deals with the extremely complex field of delinquency and, in ten chapters, covers a wide variety of topics. The authors worked closely with the juvenile court in New Haven, Conn. As the authors make clear, delinquency is a legal and not a medical term that refers to those youngsters who behave in an unacceptable way in the society. They primarily saw only those youngsters referred to them by the court, and therefore do not believe they have had as complete a sample of so-called delinquents as they might. Nevertheless, they do believe that they have done a useful task and pointed the way for future investigations. They frankly state that they cannot answer all of the questions they raise about delinquency, since there are so many causes. They do make a point with which most of us

Behavioral Science in Pediatric Medicine

As noted in the preface, this book, edited by a professor of pediatrics, a professor of human development, and a professor of psychiatry devotes itself to the concept that behavioral and social disorders are no less important than major physical and biological agents as causes of disease and disability among infants, children, and adolescents. The book is divided into nine sections. The first, entitled Social and Behavioral Causes and Consequences of Disease Among Children, stresses the fact that sociobehavioral and physical disorders occur with about the same frequency in children and that the two are apt to be seen together in children with chronic physical disease. A form developed by the Childrens Service of the Massachusetts General Hospital to record all pertinent facts is presented. Section two, Physiological Psychology, presents what we know— and even more important what we dont know—about the role of the central nervous system mechanisms in

Prognosis in Child Psychiatry

This book represents a follow-up study, made in 1965, of 277 youngsters seen between 1950 and 1954 in the Department of Child Psychiatry in Rikshospitalet, Oslo. The clinic, during its early years, had served primarily as a diagnostic facility, so the present study is not intended to evaluate psychiatric treatment of these youngsters but rather to show how they were adjusting some years later. The authors divide the sample into four main groups: neurotic, psychotic, mentally retarded, and those with organic brain damage. It is remarkable that such a large percentage of the original group could be located and seen personally by the authors or interviewed by others or by questionnaire. Certainly this could never be accomplished in the United States. The disappointing thing is the paucity of real data presented. For example, the authors conclude that psychotic children fail to grow intellectually when placed in institutions for the retarded

Temperament and Behavior Disorders in Children

This book, the latest resulting from the authors longitudinal study of a group of young children, is basically oriented toward impressing the reader with the importance of the temperament in the emotional development of the child. The sample chosen represents 42 of the original 136 children in the study. These youngsters developed some symptom or other behavioral problem and were subsequently studied in detail. Nine categories of reactivity were utilized to establish the basic temperament of each subject. These categories were activity level, rhythmicity, approach or withdrawal, adaptability, intensity of reaction, threshold of responsiveness, quality of mood, distractibility, and attention span and persistence. Each of these was rated on a three-point scale. The ratings were begun in infancy and continued throughout childhood. The investigators also studied the homes of the children, their intellectual levels, and the reports from teachers. The sample consisted of children of various ages ranging from those

Somatic and Psychiatric Aspects of Childhood Allergies.

This monograph consists of 15 chapters by various authors, dealing with psychiatric, psychological, pediatric, and allergic aspects of childhood allergies. The authors range from psychoanalysts to research psychologists and from pediatricians to allergists. Some of the chapters are heavily weighted on the psychological side as, for example, the lead, Psychopathology and Psychotherapy in the Allergies of Children. Other chapters offer detailed and even inordinately specific material of the field of allergy, such as the chapter on Pollinosis in Childhood. Still others make an heroic effort to balance the presentation to include appropriate aspects of the physical and the emotional. The book deals with various allergic phenomena including those of the skin, the gut, and the nasopharynx, but asthma is given more space than any other syndrome. There is considerable material from The National Home for Asthmatic Children in Denver. This well-known institution has had a wealth of experience with asthmatic