This Handbook illustrates the importance of examining child mental health from a different perspective, one that assumes that psychiatric categories are made real in and through both written and spoken language. It gathers a range of applied and theoretical analyses from leading scholars and clinicians in order to examine the conversational practices of children diagnosed with mental health disorders alongside those of their parents, families and practitioners. The contributors move away from viewing mental illness as an objective truth; instead reintroducing the relevance of language in constructing and deconstructing the assumptions that surround the diagnosis and treatment of childhood mental health disorders. Including chapters on ADHD, autism, depression, eating disorders and trauma, this collection addresses the diversity involved in discussing child mental health.

Divided into six parts: the place of conversation/discourse analysis; critical approaches; social constructions of normal/abnormal; situating and exploring the difficulties involved; managing problem behaviour and discussing different practices involved; this Handbook presents a comprehensive overview of child mental health. It is an essential reference resource for all those involved or interested in child mental health.