Who Is a Child & Adolescent Psychiatrist?
A Child & Adolescent Psychiatrist is a medical doctor (MD or equivalent) who specializes in diagnosing, treating, and preventing mental, emotional, and behavioral disorders in children, adolescents, and young adults. After completing medical school, they receive specialized training in both general psychiatry and child and adolescent psychiatry.
Unlike psychologists or therapists, child and adolescent psychiatrists can prescribe medications when appropriate and provide comprehensive treatment that may include psychotherapy, family support, and collaboration with schools and other healthcare professionals.
What Conditions Do They Treat?
A child and adolescent psychiatrist can help diagnose and treat:
- Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
- Anxiety disorders
- Depression
- Autism spectrum disorder (ASD)
- Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
- Bipolar disorder
- Eating disorders
- Sleep disorders
- Behavioral and conduct disorders
- Learning and developmental concerns
- Trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- Self-harm and suicidal thoughts
- Emotional and social difficulties
What Does a Child & Adolescent Psychiatrist Do?
They provide comprehensive mental healthcare by:
- Conducting psychiatric evaluations and diagnoses.
- Prescribing and monitoring medications when needed.
- Providing psychotherapy or counseling.
- Developing individualized treatment plans.
- Supporting parents and caregivers.
- Working with psychologists, therapists, pediatricians, and schools to coordinate care.
- Monitoring a child’s emotional, behavioral, and developmental progress over time.
When Should You See a Child & Adolescent Psychiatrist?
Consider seeking an evaluation if your child experiences:
- Persistent sadness, anxiety, or mood changes.
- Severe behavioral problems or aggression.
- Difficulty concentrating or hyperactivity affecting school performance.
- Social withdrawal or difficulty making friends.
- Significant changes in sleep or eating habits.
- Self-harm, suicidal thoughts, or risky behaviors.
- Developmental or emotional concerns that interfere with daily life.
- Symptoms that do not improve with counseling alone or may require medication.
Psychological Therapies offered by Novomed for Children & Adolescents
Our psychiatrist has a subspecialty child and adolescent psychiatry and, among other conditions, he specializes in the diagnosis, advice and treatment of:
Learning disabilities
For children and adolescents with learning disabilities, our psychiatrist can help identify and assess contributing problems such as sensory disabilities, physical problems and behavioral phenotypes associated with specific genetic syndromes.
In addition to assessments he will also treat psychiatric disorders, which are two-four times more likely to occur in children with learning disabilities. It is believed that 30% to 50% of these children will have a mental disorder and, in particular, the likelihood of autism and attention deficit disorder (ADHD) is increased.
Autism and ADHD
Our psychiatrist can help diagnose and manage autism-spectrum disorders and ADHD, particularly when the diagnosis is not straightforward. He can also help with associated problems of autism such as aggression, self-injury, sleep disorders and severe dietary restrictions. In addition, he can assess the parenting and family situation as it affects the child or adolescent
Behavioral difficulties
Behavioural difficulties can arise in children of all ages, and sometimes have serious consequences for their development. Parents and caregivers should watch for the following behaviour:
- If the bad behaviour has lasted for several months and the child is repeatedly disobedient and aggressive; and if the behaviour is out of the ordinary, and seriously contravenes the accepted home or school rules.
- If the bad behavior affects the child’s development and ability to lead a normal life, it is classified as a ‘conduct disorder’. In younger children, aggressive and disruptive behavior can be diagnosed as the child having ‘oppositional defiant disorder’. Possible signs of conduct disorder include violent physical fighting, stealing or lying without remorse, and rule-breaking. In addition to the impact on their ability to socialize, it can also affect their scholastic performance. Early diagnosis leads to better outcomes.
Intellectual disability
Our psychiatrist deals with intellectual disability cases as there are often cooccurrences with mental health, neurodevelopmental, medical and physical conditions. These conditions include ADHD, autism spectrum disorder and depression and anxiety disorders.
Intellectual disability involves problems with general mental abilities that affect functioning in two areas:
1- Intellectual functioning (learning, problem solving, judgment, etc), which is assessed with an exam by a doctor and standardized testing. A full scale IQ score of around 70 to 75 indicates a significant limitation in intellectual functioning, although this needs to be interpreted in the context of the individual on a case-by-case basis.
2- Adaptive functioning (communication, independent living, etc), which is assessed by considering three aspects: conceptual (eg, writing, reasoning); social (empathy, socializing skills) and practical (personal care, money management).
