Hatim A. Omar – författare

Suicide is a leading cause of death globally and the second biggest cause of death in young people. Over 800,000 people commit suicide annually. While many approaches to suicide prevention have been proposed, the only ones to show even limited success are those at the grassroots level; involving everyone, from parents to teachers, health care providers and the community as a whole. This book explores both current and outdated perceptions of suicide and presents a number of novel approaches and tools to prevent suicide.

While much needs to be done in order to minimize the suicide attempts and suicides of adolescents, the work of Stop Youth Suicide (SYS) campaign and the comprehensive grassroots' approach is showing signs of success in the state of Kentucky. The 2013 national Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) showed that for the first time, indicators of youth suicide in the state are at or below the national average, where they were previously always above. In the three rural counties where the school systems have partnered with SYS and the Division of Adolescent Medicine in Lexington, there is an actual absence of completed suicides compared to the average of three per year prior to this partnership. In order to maintain and improve that statistic, we must ensure that students do not have easy access to weapons, guns and drugs by ensuring that these items are properly stored in homes where children are present. Kentucky's educators must continue to develop ways to provide safe and supportive school environments. In this book, the authors have gathered presentations from the 2017 Annual Stop Youth Suicide Campaign Conference, which we hope will be of interest and help to the readers.

This book is really a reflection of the past more than 20 years of work with teens and suicide prevention in the state of Kentucky. The work to establish the "Stop Youth Suicide Campaign (SYS)" has resulted in contact with many young adults, and we have found that the most important thing for all of them was finding a caring person they trust and can talk to. Because of the constant need, the SYS went from a goal of being a one-year awareness campaign to becoming a major community resource, working with the state and local governments and state legislators to add as many resources as possible. We have witnessed for the first time a drop of youth suicide rates below the national average, according to the 2013 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance done biannually by the Center for Disease Control. In this book, we will tackle various topics and specific populations in relation to suicide written by people who work with teens and care about them. Professor Hatim A Omar, MD, FAAP, is professor of pediatrics and obstetrics/gynecology, Children''s Miracle Network Chair, Division of Adolescent Medicine and Young Parents Program, Kentucky Children’s Hospital, UK Healthcare, Department of Pediatrics, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, Lexington, Kentucky, United States. Joav Merrick, MD, MMedSci, DMSc, born and educated in Denmark is professor of pediatrics at the Division of Pediatrics, Hadassah Hebrew University Medical Center, Mt Scopus Campus, Jerusalem, Israel, Kentucky Children’s Hospital, University of Kentucky, Lexington, United States and professor of public health at the Center for Healthy Development, School of Public Health, Georgia State University, Atlanta, United States, the former medical director of the Division for Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, Ministry of Social Affairs and Social Services, Jerusalem and the founder and director of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development in Israel.

The book is written for practitioners by specialists, who are passionate about improving the future for our children and adolescents. Adolescent sexuality and gynecologic care of young patients are topics, which make most clinicians uncomfortable. This is due to a lack of knowledge and training in many circumstances. Assumptions based upon knowledge of adult gynecology alone may be hazardous for pediatric and adolescent patients. These children and young women often do not have access to specialists who are able and willing to care for their gynecologic issues at an appropriate level. The primary care setting is often the most comfortable venue for a number of these patients. Pediatric and adolescent gynecologic concerns will need to be addressed, at least to some degree, by all practices that care for these patients. Many primary care practices will recognize the need to provide a significant amount of gynecology care for this population. Concepts and approaches in this text directly translate to better care for young women and a greater level of comfort for primary care practitioners. The authors of this text are clinicians and scholars who have committed their careers to improving the health of children and adolescents. They are all outstanding teachers in the classroom, at the bedside, and in the clinic. The chapters of this book convey the vibrancy of their clinical teaching to the readers. We hope to transmit the knowledge and produce the comfort that enhances pediatric and adolescent gynecologic care in primary care practice.

Adolescent sexuality and gynecologic care of young patients are topics which make most clinicians uncomfortable. This is due to a lack of knowledge and training in many circumstances. Assumptions based upon knowledge of adult gynecology alone may be hazardous for pediatric and adolescent patients. These children and young women often do not have access to specialists who are able and willing to care for their gynecologic issues at an appropriate level. The primary care setting is often the most comfortable venue for a number of these patients. The concept for this book was to provide a reference for primary care providers without highly specialized gynecology textbooks, just to focus on what providers tackle on a daily basis. The first edition was well received and the feedback was good. In the 10 years since the first edition was published, our knowledge has improved and many new methods, medications and devices were added to daily practice. Those changes prompted the Editors to provide an updated version of the book, while keeping its essence intact.

Just a few decades ago, children born with significant congenital anomalies or genetic and metabolic diseases perished at an early age and very few survived into their teens and even less into adulthood. Congenital heart disease, major errors in metabolism, cancer, cystic fibrosis and many other major diseases were fatal. Because of that many physicians in adult primary care did not have the opportunity to see patients with these problems and thus unable to learn how to care for them. In this book, we have recruited highly qualified and experienced physicians to compile what is to the best of our knowledge, the first book dealing entirely with the issue of children's diseases in adults. Our goal is to provide a resource for all health care providers in order to help with caring for such adult patients. We believe that it will be valuable to all health care providers who provide care to adults with children's diseases. To our knowledge, there is no such resource available for practitioners which will make this book desirable.

Primary care clinicians are called on to care for adolescents in a time with increasing pharmacologic agents that are available in the management of these patients. The emphasis in this book is on the current pharmacologic treatment of common medical disorders in adolescents. Selected topics of practical relevance in adolescent medicine are covered. The goal of this book is to provide a succinct and practical guide specifically written for practicing physicians and allied health professionals who work with adolescents.

Primary care clinicians are called on to care for adolescents in a time with increasing pharmacologic agents that are available in the management of these patients. The emphasis in this book is on the current pharmacologic treatment of common medical disorders in adolescents. Selected topics of practical relevance in adolescent medicine are covered. The goal of this book is to provide a succinct and practical guide specifically written for practicing physicians and allied health professionals who work with adolescents.

Increasingly more and more children with developmental disabilities survive into adulthood. Pediatricians and other clinicians are called upon to care for an increasing number of children with developmental disabilities in their practice and thus there is a need for a practical guide specifically written for paediatricians and primary care clinicians that addresses major concepts of neurodevelopmental pediatrics. In the United States, the specialty training leading to a conjoint board certification by the American Board of Pediatrics and American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, requires a total of 6 years of training (2 years of pediatrics, 1 year of neurology, 18 months of child neurology, 18 months of neurodevelopmental disabilities). As of December 2006, in the US, there were 241 pediatricians and 55 child neurologists certified in the subspecialty of Neurodevelopmental Disabilities. Thus most of the children with developmental disabilities are seen by pediatricians and therefore it is important for these pediatricians to be well informed of common issues in the field. The 60,000 or so pediatricians in the United States (and hundreds more in other countries) are the main target audience for a practical book on neurodevelopmental pediatrics.

Increasingly more and more children with developmental disabilities survive into adulthood. Pediatricians and other clinicians are called upon to care for an increasing number of children with developmental disabilities in their practice and thus there is a need for a practical guide specifically written for paediatricians and primary care clinicians that addresses major concepts of neurodevelopmental pediatrics. In the United States, the specialty training leading to a conjoint board certification by the American Board of Pediatrics and American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, requires a total of 6 years of training (2 years of pediatrics, 1 year of neurology, 18 months of child neurology, 18 months of neurodevelopmental disabilities). As of December 2006, in the US, there were 241 pediatricians and 55 child neurologists certified in the subspecialty of Neurodevelopmental Disabilities. Thus most of the children with developmental disabilities are seen by pediatricians and therefore it is important for these pediatricians to be well informed of common issues in the field. The 60,000 or so pediatricians in the United States (and hundreds more in other countries) are the main target audience for a practical book on neurodevelopmental pediatrics.