FAQ

What is a Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist?

The child and adolescent psychiatrist is a Doctor of Medicine or Doctor of Osteopathy who specializes in the diagnosis and, if indicated, the treatment of disorders of thinking, feeling and/or behavior affecting children, adolescents, and their families. A child and adolescent psychiatrist offers families the advantages of a medical education, the medical traditions of professional ethics, and medical responsibility for providing comprehensive care. -American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.

Child psychiatrists can evaluate your child and make a diagnosis or differential diagnoses and recommendations for treatment. A child psychiatrist can also prescribe medications and/or supportive therapy and psychoeducation for treatment of various psychiatric disorders. Child and adolescent psychiatrists typically do not provide traditional therapy or counseling.

How do you become a child and adolescent psychiatrist?

Child and adolescent psychiatric training requires 4 years of medical school, at least 3 years of approved residency training in medicine, neurology, and general psychiatry with adults, and 2 years of additional specialized training in psychiatric work with children, adolescents, and their families in an accredited residency in child and adolescent psychiatry. In the general psychiatry training years, the physician achieves competence in the fundamentals of the theory and practice of psychiatry. In the child and adolescent psychiatry training, the trainee acquires a thorough knowledge of normal child and family development, psychopathology, and treatment. Importance is given to disorders that appear in childhood, such as pervasive developmental disorder, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), learning disabilities, mental retardation, mood disorders, depressive and anxiety disorders. During training, child and adolescents psychiatrists gain skills by treating children, adolescents and their families in a variety of settings. Child Psychiatrists get experience in consultation to other physicians, mental health professionals, schools, and community agencies as an important part of training.

What kind of diagnosis does a child and adolescent psychiatrist treat?

A Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist treats multiple behavioral, emotional and developmental diagnoses. Some of these include the following: Attention deficit disorders (ADD, ADHD), Anxiety disorders (Separation Anxiety Disorder, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Social Phobia, School Phobia, Panic Disorder, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder), Autism Spectrum Disorders (Asperger's Disorder, Pervasive Developmental Disorder NOS), Tourette's Disorder, Mood disorders (Major Depressive Disorder, Dysthymia, Bipolar Disorders, Cyclothymia, Mood Disorder NOS), Schizophrenia and Schizoaffective disorders.

Who should see a child and adolescent psychiatrist?

Anyone that is experiencing difficulties with functioning in their day to day environments over an extended period of time. Examples of this are poor school performance, severe anxiety, aggressive behavior, frequent physical complaints, hyperactivity, frequent temper tantrums, inability to cope with problems, depressed mood, self harming behaviors, thoughts of hurting yourself, mood swings, or strange thoughts, beliefs or behaviors.

What are some common illnesses that a psychiatrist might treat or topics they may give advice on? check www.aacap.org for more information and details...