You can help your child talk freely about their concerns and feelings to improve their mental health. In such a case, you will need a specialized doctor in child and adolescent psychiatry to help them handle issues that are bothering them. Board-certified child and adolescent psychiatrist in Irvine, CA, have specialists who will help your family, children, and adolescents with their daily mental health problems. During your visit, you can learn about what happens at an appointment and the treatment methods that the psychiatrist will use.
When to Visit a Psychiatrist
You should take your child to a psychiatrist if they try to harm themselves or attempt suicide or when they have hallucinations and have ideas that are not true. Sometimes the child might be struggling to enjoy themselves or complete a primary task. The child could be fighting depression, and a psychiatrist will help give them the best chance to recover. The specialist’s treatment is very effective in dealing with mental health issues and the sooner the child gets help, they can get back to everyday life quickly.
What the Psychiatrist Does
Your family doctor will recommend a psychiatrist who will help your family and children deal with conditions like depression, alcohol and drug issues, psychological aspects of developmental needs and disability, stress-related disorder and trauma, anxiety, and bipolar disorder.
Preparing Your Child to See a Psychiatrist
Before you take your child to see a psychiatrist, you need to prepare them mentally by explaining what will happen to make them feel comfortable and express themselves freely. Your child should know that there is patient confidentiality, and they should be open so that the health professional can recommend the best treatment. However, if your child is at risk to others or themselves, the psychiatrist can disclose the information to the parents.
Treatments Used in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
Psychotherapy is mainly used within children since it builds a relationship between them and the therapist. Psychotherapy can treat a wide variety of emotional problems and mental disorders. The patient can freely talk about their issues, which will help improve their emotional and cognitive functioning. The extent of the problem will determine the number of sessions that one will have. Psychotherapy can be done with family, individually or a group depending on the patient’s preference.
A psychiatrist can also recommend medications proven to be effective and safe, like antidepressants to treat panic, anxiety, personality, and an eating disorder. Patients with bipolar disorder can use a mood stabilizer. Medications in combination with psychotherapy are a recommendation. In case of any side effects from the medicines, you need to talk with your psychiatrist.
Family therapy is necessary to all discuss your issues, and together you can learn how to cope and communicate with each other. Families should be able to accept their children who are fighting depression or any mental illness.
Conclusion
You can feel anxious about visiting a psychiatrist, but the feeling should not prevent you from getting the treatment and help you need. Your family history is necessary during your first appointment if the cause of the mental health issue is genetic. Your psychiatrist should make you feel comfortable during the session so that you can achieve the treatment goals. The psychiatrist should be able to monitor the child throughout treatment.