What’s the difference between child and adult Psychiatry?

There has to be a more structured and carefully considered approach when dealing with children’s mental health.

There are not only the potential issues of child protection and confidentiality, but also some cases are just not suited to being managed online and there are the dangers of missing things by not having all of the information: children are not always able to express their experiences clearly, adolescents can be  notoriously secretive and uncommunicative – and parents may be blind to their own role, as well as desperately anxious and unable to have an objective understanding of what their much loved child is really experiencing.

Consequently, child and adolescent psychiatrists have to interview both parents/carers and the children concerned and they will normally seek information from their school teachers as well.

We are also much more likely to seek corroborative evidence from other professionals such as educational psychologists. However, we will only do so with your consent and if we consider such information necessary plus you can be assured that, as any such reports will be from suitably qualified professionals in whom we are completely confident, you will be getting all of the information and help for your child that you could possibly need to get them the best treatment for their condition.