First published in 1991, Truants from Life is written by three child psychiatrists, three psychologists, two psychotherapists, a social worker, a bereavement counsellor and two specialist teachers. The result is an excellent, fascinating, authoritative and wide-ranging examination of withdrawn children at home, in school and society. It outlines – how well do we understand difficulties of such children? How can they be helped to have a more robust, adequate and mature life? This is why there are chapters on causes, assessments and treatments of withdrawal from life. Reliable and rich case histories illustrate themes where appropriate. This book will be of interest to students of psychology, mental health, and social work.