Handbook of Infant Mental Health

“If you can't find helpful information summarized here, relevant to any important or special problem pertinent to children ages 0–3, then the data do not yet exist.”

—American Journal of Psychiatry (on the second edition)


“A comprehensive reference that is a valuable addition for a developmentally oriented clinician who interacts with young children and families.”

—Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics (on the second edition)


“Successive editions of this handbook have given us the foremost thinking in an incredibly fast-developing area. Readers of the fourth edition will be delighted by a diversity of perspectives that define an increasingly rich field. For example, new chapters on epigenetics and historical trauma deepen our understanding that the baby is an interactive traveler on a multigenerational journey. Zeanah has yet again assembled an all-star cast of authors to help us better understand and intervene at both individual and sociocultural levels. This handbook is equally indispensable to researchers, clinicians, policymakers, educators, and graduate students. With the correct classroom supports, the fourth edition is ideal for use in graduate programs and postdoctoral seminars. Its utility as a classroom text spans psychology, developmental science, education and special education, psychiatry, social work, nursing, early intervention, pediatrics, public health, and many other disciplines.”

—Walter S. Gilliam, PhD, Child Study Center, Yale School of Medicine


“Zeanah has once again brought together the leading experts in the field to provide the most comprehensive, up-to-date presentation of the science and practice of infant mental health. Chapters offer a broad view as well as specific information about early childhood development in context, risk and protective factors, assessment, psychopathology, interventions, and applications in different settings and contexts. The volume presents detailed roadmaps for clinical care, training, and advocacy. For every child psychiatry fellow and faculty member in our department, this is the core, foundational book of early childhood mental health knowledge.”

—Helen Link Egger, MD, Chair, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and Director, Child Study Center, New York University Langone Medical Center


“As in prior editions, the fourth edition of the Handbook distills a massive body of research on neurobiological processes in the developing child and renders it digestible to readers who are less familiar with the topic. To our great fortune, coverage of neurobiology has been expanded with a cutting-edge chapter on epigenetics. Other new chapters keep pace with the rapidly evolving field of evidence-based infant mental health interventions by presenting approaches arising from varying theoretical and philosophical bases.”

—Brenda Jones Harden, PhD, Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology, University of Maryland, College Park


“From its pioneering first edition, this handbook established itself as the authoritative resource for the infant mental health field. Now in its fourth edition, this volume builds on the foundations of the previous editions, yet brings the reader up to date with thorough reviews of key topics. Newcomers to the field, students (both beginning and advanced), and experienced clinicians and researchers will all find the Handbook invaluable. It covers the main issues 'from cell to society,' is accurate and scientifically rigorous, and offers balanced descriptions of complex issues.”

—David Oppenheim, PhD, Department of Psychology and Center for the Study of Child Development, University of Haifa, Israel


“The fourth edition very much keeps abreast of developments in the field of infant mental health. I have read the new chapters with much enjoyment and sense of fruitfulness. The Handbook is pertinent, up to date, and a great resource for those of us working directly with infants and parents, as well as those seeking to develop the overall coordination and delivery of mental health services. All of the contributors are at the forefront of their respective areas of research and clinical activity. The Handbook is the overall textbook for our multidisciplinary training program in infant and parent mental health at the University of Melbourne. The residents and fellows in the infant mental health program at the Royal Children’s Hospital also refer to the book when providing inpatient and outpatient care.”

—Campbell Paul, MBBS, FRANZCP, Honorary Principal Fellow, University of Melbourne, Australia; Consultant Infant Psychiatrist, Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne