Treating Adolescents in Hospitals

Reviews the book, The Hospitalized Adolescent: A Guide to Managing the Ill and Injured Youth by Adele D. Hofmann, R. D. Becker, and H. Paul Gabriel (see record 1977-21518-000). The authors have written a comprehensive work on the special needs of adolescents when they have to cope with physical illness. Much of what they say is specific to the problems engendered by the adolescents' normal somatic concerns, desires for privacy from adults, and so on. The strength of this book lies in its sensitivity and comprehensiveness even to the point of discussing the dying patient and legal issues. The philosophical underpinnings are strongly democratic with emphasis on the individual rather than the institution and on sensitive understanding rather than punishment. If there is a criticism of the book, it is that it fails to capture either the excitement or humor of adolescence. Even for such a serious volume some amusing vignettes or humorous observations would have increased its readability. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)