Emerging evidence, and political pressure have changed Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services a good deal over the past 10 years. It is mystifying enough to be part of these changes. I can only imagine what it might be like to be looking on. This second edition brings a useful book up to date. It is a sort of ambassador for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and should go a long way towards explaining the discipline to associated agencies, professionals, and commissioners. It is likely to be better at this than at its prefacing claim to help professionals “address the psychiatric aspects of their practice”.

The overlap between …