Children constitute nearly 40% of India's population, a significant portion of whom suffer mental ailments. Ways to sensitize those who work with children to various aspects associated with child mental health are explored in this book. The focus is not on mental handicap but on the internal or external distress which warps the psychosocial development of children, aspects often neglected both by the family and by professionals. The text follows a developmental perspective and is divided into three parts. The first part describes and evaluates the various assessment and therapeutic techniques used with troubled children. The second part discusses the nature of some specific disorders in terms of phenomenology, etiology, and intervention. The disorders described include the following: scholastic backwardness; hyperkinesis; hysterical, emotional, somatic, and neurotic problems; developmental disorders; and psychotic conditions of childhood, such as autism. The last section looks at the child in the community context and focuses on various aspects of the family, school, and community in which such troubled children are brought up. Emphasis is placed on culturally appropriate and pragmatic solutions to the problems of child mental health by employing a holistic and eclectic perspective. Contains approximately 550 references. (RJM)