My Book Pick: The Most Important Thing in Raising Children: Attachment and Developmental Disorders
Aichi Insurance Physicians’ Newspaper
January 15, 2019
Toshiro Sugiyama
Kodansha
September 19, 2018
Amid the growing public interest in developmental disorders, this book presents the views of one of Japan’s leading clinicians and researchers in the field, who considers attachment disorders a possible “fourth developmental disorder.”
The author points out that, as Japan’s birthrate continues to decline, “the Japanese economy is absorbing all our energy, to the point that it is even undermining the reproduction of the next generation of workers through child-rearing” (p. 31).
The book covers a wide range of topics, including modern child-rearing, the fundamentals of raising children, love and attachment, developmental disorders, attachment disorders, child poverty, independence and discipline in early childhood, school-age children, and the role of society in raising children.
Unlike conventional books aimed at raising awareness, the book takes the form of dialogues between the author and an innovative editor. Each chapter includes a summary and introduces key references, making the book both original and accessible.
There is room for debate over whether attachment disorder should be classified as a “fourth developmental disorder,” particularly because the problem lies primarily on the parents’ side and because self-healing may be possible.
The World Health Organization also appears to be moving toward adopting complex PTSD, although the American Psychiatric Association has not accepted the diagnosis. I believe the term PDSD (prolonged duress stress disorder) would be more appropriate. In clinical practice, I have also found the increasingly broad interpretation of trauma increasingly difficult to accept.
Regardless of these questions concerning psychiatric classification, I recommend this book to anyone interested in developmental disorders and the challenges of raising children.
