Gr 7 Up-Students looking for basic information on a wide array of concerns can find the jumping-off point for more advanced research by consulting this comprehensive overview. The first section includes 15 chapters on such issues as self-esteem, physical appearance, peer pressure, stress, love, abuse, and grief, and advice for dealing with each. "Common Types of Mental Illness," the second section, is comprised of 20 chapters describing every disorder, phobia, and addiction one can imagine. "Suicide" includes chapters on symptoms and prevention, including myths and questions. "Getting Treatment" provides guidelines and recommendations for professional help, the creation of self-help groups, and various medical treatments (with a whole chapter on St. John's Wort). "If You Need More Information" offers extensive online and print recommendations for mental health, alcohol, and substance-abuse resources. Each of the five major sections concludes with an expansive list of references. The layout and use of white space, bold type, and shaded insets are appealing to the eye. On one hand, readers will find the material accessible and informative, with the shaded notes, facts, and embedded glossary insets adding appropriately to the already interesting and succinct presentation. On the other, some readers will be turned off by the hokeyness of some of the "attention grabbers," like calling the vocabulary lists "Weird Words." One also wonders about the lack of balance in a resource that provides a veritable smorgasbord of worrisome symptoms to further concern already anxious teens. One hopes a psychologist or a counselor will be on hand and knowledgeable when those moments of anxiety arise.
Mary R. Hofmann, Rivera Middle School, Merced, CA
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
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