This book is one of an important academic series managed by an international steering committee whose membership includes representatives from the World Health Organization. The series, International Studies on Child and Adolescent Health, covers a broad range of health issues that transcends traditional borders of physical vs. mental, east vs. west, and child vs. adolescent. Rather, the series is noted for its ability to integrated complex fields in order to provide cutting-edge science to researchers, clinicians, and decision makers.
This recent edition offers a detailed and evidence-based review of the literature on puberty. The biological chapters offer a clear and comprehensive review of the hormonal issues at play in puberty, and provide a detailed review of the biological issues of relevance in early or late puberty. Complimented by tables and illustrations, these offer a solid review for interested child and adolescent psychiatrists.
The biological components of this edition are complimented by large sections on the psychology of puberty, and reviews of some of the psychopathology associated with the onset of puberty. The section on “Puberty and Psychopathology” limited itself to a superficial review of depression and schizophrenia. The lack of attention paid to substance use disorders, adjustment disorders, eating, and anxiety disorders was notable. Toronto-based psychiatrist Dr. Mary Seeman’s contribution to gender differences in schizophrenia was, however, of value to our discipline, and complimented her own book on this theme nicely.
The title of this book suggested that the gender differences in puberty will be reviewed in detail beyond the biological factors involved. To a degree, the editor accomplished this goal. There was a large section on the experience of girls and puberty, but the section on boys and puberty paled in comparison (49 vs. 23 pages respectively). The literature on themes such as sexual identity, orientation, and behaviour was not reviewed in any detail, nor were newer developments in social trends of masculinity and femininity reviewed. One section done particularly well was on aggression and girls. The significant shifts in epidemiology and impairment were well reviewed. However, the section on educational outcomes and boys was poorly done, and there was little mention of the challenges young men are facing in today’s school systems. Finally, the health challenges of gender-disordered, or gender-questioning youth was very limited in spite of the growing literature in this area. As such, the approach to gender in this book appeared to be generally limited to girls – of value, but not the promise of the title.
Thus, this book may be of little interest to general child and adolescent psychiatrists. However, for those working primarily with girls or young women, consultation-liaison populations, or in shared care with paediatricians, this book will offer a useful review of the biology of puberty, and a detailed review of the important issues affecting our female patients. Gender differences in psychiatric medicine are of growing relevance and importance, and promise to be an important component of the DSM-V and mental health research in the next decade. This text is an important part of the development of literature in this area.