The mental health of young people is very much a growth area, which, as its importance is increasingly recognised, has attracted a health service commitment to provision of a much needed expansion of services. This has resulted in greatly improved services in many areas, and significant increases in staff numbers, including Doctors, Psychologists and Specialist Nurses. In addition, increased recognition of various mental health problems in young people such as depression/self harm and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorders has meant that there is a need for an increase in the understanding of these disorders in related fields such as paediatrics, general practice and emergency medicine. In order to provide an ongoing high standard of care in a contemporary and fast-moving health service, this handbook provides an authoratitive and comprehensive but also rapidly accessible text in this growing speciality.