Many traditional treatment methods for mental illnesses focus on statistics and research done for the adult population. While this is good news for adult patients, treatments that work well for older patients may not work as well for children and teens. For example, stigmas and cultural expectations can camouflage a child or adolescent’s need for treatment; often, teens are overlooked or written off as “acting out” or “attention-seeking”. Though some of these behaviors are normal, excessive fear, anger, sadness, or exhaustion may point to a mental health condition. In this circumstance, it is the job of a Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist to determine if the behavior is of concern or not.
Children and adolescents have different needs based on their varied experiences and brain development; Child & Adolescent Psychiatry’s primary purpose is to treat younger minds and their mental health needs. A specialist of this discipline focuses on delivering quality care with a child or teen in mind, which helps them to heal faster and with greater success.
At Strive Psychiatry, we have excellent mental health professionals that specialize in Child & Adolescent Psychiatry.