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This book is not written from a psychoanalytic or self psychology point of view as one might expect from the title Attack on the Self. It is a book about the prevention and treatment of behavioral disturbances in adolescence. Miller discusses a number of adolescent issues and brings into focus the effects of recent developments including the AIDS epidemic, rulings concerning disclosures to parents for girls seeking abortions, and changes in the epidemiology of drug abuse. Symptoms in adolescence are related to developmental tasks. Chapters range from developmental issues influencing treatability and preventing and diagnosing emotional disturbances to the planning of treatment. There are chapters on suicide, sexual disorders, mood and behavior disturbances, self starvation syndromes, and drug abuse. One of the strengths of the book is its treatment of a wide range of topics by one author. His writing is in an almost conversational style which makes for easy reading.
There is, however, a tendency to ramble into disorganization and the author repeats certain points about which he feels very strongly throughout the book. These include the double messages given by parents and our society which contribute to adolescent problems. Examples of this are the condemnation of substance abuse while parents buy kegs of beer for parties at which young adolescents will be present, and a society in which police officers do nothing about public smoking of marijuana; the parents and the law forbid an action. Then, there is a collusion or lack of action indicating consent which encourages the same action. He also makes a strong plea for a correctional system that could be expected to release adolescents back into the community in an improved condition. He points to evidence that in fact the opposite is true and that once released an adolescent is more likely to commit a violent crime. His description of capital punishement as “judicial murder” clearly states his views on the subject and