Book excerpt: A wide variety of questions pertaining to the etiology, course and therapy of child psychiatric conditions are answered in this concise volume. Central issues related to diagnosis, assessment, sampling and cross-cultural studies are presented in a highly readable fashion. Research on prevalence and patterns of childhood dysfunction and how these are influenced by such factors as age, sex and social class are presented in detail. The authors also provide a detailed description of community surveys and offer a referral pathway to psychiatric care for children.