3A Psychiatrist's Guide: Stop Teen Addiction Before It Starts outlines how addictive substances and activities hijack the teenage brain to create an addiction. This book demystifies addiction from a neurological and psychological perspective, explaining the way the brain changes in response to addictive stimuli and in response to psychological factors.

The teenage brain and psyche are particularly vulnerable to developing addictions, because during the teen years, the brain is in a phase of rapid and profound development. Moreover, more than half of all suicides were with people who were intoxicated.

With a non-judgmental approach, Gayani describes family dynamics and parenting choices that inadvertently promote the development of an addiction. Armed with knowledge about how addiction develops, Dr. DeSilva coaches parents on how to optimize their parenting strategies to help their children avoid getting addicted.