The Series

Reading Between the Lines is a series dedicated to the mental health of children and adolescents with the aim of raising awareness of the forms and symptoms of some frequent psychological disorders in younger generations. This series is the result of the collaboration between Edizioni Erickson and Scuola Holden, a famous storytelling school founded in Turin by the writer Alessandro Baricco.

The series uses a different language – one that is close to the younger generations – to address issues such as self-harm, school anxiety, gender dysphoria, eating disorders, and depression. It is aimed at anyone (either personally or professionally) who is interested in closely knowing the signs and symptoms of some of the most frequent psychological disorders in young generations.  It is suitable for parents, adolescents, psychologists, educators, and teachers.  The stories, written by the Holden School, are accompanied by illustrations by the students of the Academy of Fine Arts of Palermo.

This series is designed for those who:

• need to understand and intercept their child’s request for help;
• work with young people and need updated tools and resources;
• personally need to find in this book the strength to look at themselves and the possibility of no longer feeling alone.

THE STRUCTURE OF THE BOOK

The highlighted parts within the stories are followed up with technical commentary by Stefano Vicari.

Character classification

Explanation of the meaning of each specific disturb

Prevention work

How to intervene explanations

Each story is accompanied by illustrations created by students of the Academy of Fine Arts of Palermo.

Eating Disorders

What are eating disorders?

Eating disorders refer to a dysfunctional relationship with food, often accompanied by emotional and psychological issues. The most common disorders are anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating disorder, which can arise due to social pressures, the pursuit of unrealistic beauty ideals often influenced by social media, family changes, or emotional difficulties.

I’ll join you after dinner

Reading between the lines of eating disorders

The third volume in the series explores some of the most common eating and nutrition disorders through the voices of three young people.

Alongside Stefano Vicari and Maria Pontillo, who provide a more technical commentary for each story, the book offers a closer look at these disorders, explaining the motivations that often trigger a dysfunctional relationship with food and the often devastating consequences they have on the mental and physical health of those affected.

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Leaf through some pages translated into English to facilitate your evaluation of the product:

School anxiety

What is school anxiety?

School anxiety is an emotional condition of discomfort linked to the school sphere which manifests itself in the form of panic, anxiety and social withdrawal in children and adolescents who show resistance towards or a refusal of attending school. School anxiety can arise in childhood as well as in adolescence.  Today between 5% and 28% of very young people suffer from it.

I’ll stay home tomorrow

Reading between the lines about school anxiety

The second volume of the series addresses the problem of school anxiety through the voices of the three young protagonists who, each in a different way, demonstrate resistance or a refusal to attend school, strongly compromising family relationships, relationships with classmates and academic performance.

With the contribution of Stefano Vicari and Maria Pontillo, who try to provide answers and tools to understand the problem more easily, drawing attention to the signs that should cause alarm and providing advice to prevent and intervene effectively.

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Leaf through some pages translated into English to facilitate your evaluation of the product:

Self-harm

What is self-harm?

This is a self-destructive behavior in which a person inflicts physical damage on themselves (cuts, scratches to the skin), without the intent of suicide. Such behavior is often associated with serious emotional problems or psychological disorders such as depression or anxiety, because people involved in self-harm often seek a dysfunctional way to manage their inner pain through physical pain.

Just one, well done

Read between the lines about self-harm

The first volume of the series addresses the problem of self-harm: children who voluntarily inflict cuts and injuries on themselves because they cannot find a better solution to express the profound and unmanageable discomfort that assails them.

Through three intense stories written by Scuola Holden, the text intends to explain the meaning of self-harming acts, providing advice on how to recognize the signals that should raise alarm, prevent and – where necessary – intervene promptly.

Find out more!

Leaf through some pages translated into English to facilitate your evaluation of the product:

THE AUTHORS

Stefano Vicari
is a Full Professor of Child Neuropsychiatry at the Faculty of Medicine of the Catholic University of the Sacro Cuore of Rome and head physician at the Complex Operational Unit of Child Neuropsychiatry of the IRCCS Bambino Gesù Pediatric Hospital in Rome.

Maria Pontillo
Cognitive-behavioral psychotherapist and director of psychology at the complex operational unit of childhood and adolescent neuropsychiatry at the Bambino Gesù pediatric hospital in Rome.

Scuola Holden
is a storytelling school founded in Turin in 1994. The Academy was born in 2019, the first three-year degree course equal to the DAMS.

Gabriele Guarino, Gaetano Rosano and Rebecca Verduci, illustrators from the Academy of Fine Arts of Palermo.