Pediatric Psychiatry In NYC Is An Essential Service

By Nelda Powers


Many families require help from the medical practitioners of pediatric psychiatry in NYC. These doctors treat young children and teenagers. The same mental illnesses that affect adults can also befall children. It is harder for the parents and teachers to notice since children are always changing as a part of the natural growth they are going through.

Nearly five million children are affected by a mental illness that impacts the normal course of their lives. Twenty percent are stricken on a yearly basis. It is definitely more of a problem than most people realize.

Mental illnesses such as bipolar disorder and clinical depression require prescription medication to stabilize them. It is more challenging to try to diagnose the youngest children. They do not always have the vocabulary to fully express their feelings. A teen may act crazy although he is just being a teen.

A child may not seem dysfunctional while at home. He may have problems getting along in school and with friends. Or, the opposite may be true. Sometimes the child will speak openly with a school counselor and the dysfunctional behavior will be discovered.

A psychiatrist spends twelve years being educated and trained in a hospital residency. A specialty requires addition time. He is a medical doctor first and is able to dispense prescriptions for those who need them.

Using his diagnostic abilities, he can evaluate the mental condition of the child. The medication that works best will be prescribed. There are some conditions that are easy to spot. One of these is disruptive behavior disorder. This child breaks rules in school and is not orderly when at home.

The child who has a developmental delay perceives the world as a confusing place. He has a difficult time understanding what goes on around him. In the case of an anxiety disorder, a child may appear nervous and afraid of many things.

Teen girls and some boys develop anorexia nervosa, a serious eating disorder. Bulimia is seen in combination with this. A schizophrenic child has disordered and sometimes psychotic thoughts. Mood disorder, for example clinical depression or bipolar disorder, do require medication.

A psychiatrist may have an office if he is in private practice. He may provide therapy there and inpatient care in a hospital or residential treatment center. Other health care professionals may work with him.

There is a reference book psychiatrists rely on to help in making diagnoses. It is published by The American Psychiatric Association for this purpose. If a child has a certain number of the symptoms that indicate a mental illness, it is an indication that he is suffering from it. Young children are not verbal enough to accurately describe their feelings. It may be challenging, but making an accurate diagnosis is integral to effective treatment.

Psychotherapy may be used in conjunction with medication to help a child. Talking about his disorder might be a big help in teaching him coping skills. The psychotherapist and pediatric psychiatrist will confer on continuing therapy and prescription medication.

The case of bipolar disorder may require medicine to control it. It is a matter of brain chemistry that is regulated by medication. The mental health practitioner of pediatric psychiatry in NYC uses the lowest effective dose of the type that is required.




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