Recently featured in the NY Times and The Wall Street Journal, Dr. Judith R. Smith coined the term "difficult adult child” to describe the strain of dealing with issues such as serious mental health, chronic unemployment, and substance abuse disorder in one’s adult children. She brings to life the conflicts that arise for mothers who are confronted with the unexpected, burdensome, and even catastrophic dependencies of their adult children. Through real stories of mothers and their challenging adult children, this book offers relatable, provocative, and, at times, shocking illustrations of the excruciating maternal dilemma: Which takes precedence—the needs of the mother or of the distressed adult child? She is a New York City based psychotherapist, professor, and researcher on women’s issues as they age.