Elements of Psychiatric Interviewing of Children

Elements of Psychiatric Interviewing of Children

Psychiatric interviews with children present multiple ethical and communication challenges that require special consideration. The first consideration is the age of the child. Children in their early days exhibit behaviours that may be misinterpreted during a psychiatric interview. For instance, as they grow, children tend to have a lot of energy characterized by increased activity and spontaneous actions. Hyperactivity is a major symptom of ADHD and has contributed to the overdiagnosis of ADHD in children (Kazda et al., 2021). Another special consideration is the type of communication during the interview and the environment of the interview. Notably, in most cases, children find it difficult to communicate in an environment they feel uncomfortable in. Inviting the parents can be considered to help ease the environment as well as overcome some ethical hurdles. Inviting the parent can also bring into light family dynamics, including existing stress, which is a risk factor for children developing psychological problems (Spinelli et al., 2020). Additionally, besides depending on interviews during the psychiatric evaluation of a child, observing the child can be considered as a way of collecting information on the behaviors the child exhibits in their daily lives.

A comprehensive assessment of a child with suspected ADHD, depression or both requires observation, clinical interviews, and mental health examinations. For ADHD, the first step is to carry out a clinical interview using confirmed rating scales. The selection of the scale will depend on the age of the child. For children who cannot speak or express themselves, the Conners’ Parent Rating Scale (CPRS) will be used, while the ADHD Rating Scale will be used for the children who can explain themselves. The assessment would also consider caregiver or teacher observations, as well as a review of presented symptoms against provisions of the DSM-5 to rule out other psychological issues. Consideration of any traumatic experiences the child may have had may also help relate symptoms to ADHD (Wolraich et al., 2019). Assessing depression would utilize the Children’s Depression Inventory (CDI) as well as include the family in the assessment. It is also important to consider DSM-5 guidelines for the diagnosis of ADHD and to rule out other conditions.

 References

Kazda, L., Bell, K., Thomas, R., McGeechan, K., Sims, R., & Barratt, A. (2021). Overdiagnosis of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Scoping Review. JAMA Network Open, 4(4), e215335–e215335. https://doi.org/10.1001/JAMANETWORKOPEN.2021.5335

Spinelli, M., Lionetti, F., Pastore, M., & Fasolo, M. (2020). Parents’ Stress and Children’s Psychological Problems in Families Facing the COVID-19 Outbreak in Italy. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 556582. https://doi.org/10.3389/FPSYG.2020.01713/BIBTEX

Wolraich, M. L., Hagan, J. F., Allan, C., Chan, E., Davison, D., Earls, M., Evans, S. W., Flinn, S. K., Froehlich, T., Frost, J., Holbrook, J. R., Lehmann, C. U., Lessin, H. R., Okechukwu, K., Pierce, K. L., Winner, J. D., & Zurhellen, W. (2019). Clinical practice guideline for the diagnosis, evaluation, and treatment of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in children and adolescents. Pediatrics, 144(4). https://doi.org/10.1542/PEDS.2019-2528/81590

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Review the article “Is it ADHD, Depression or Both pdf.” Discuss special considerations associated with the psychiatric interview of children. Describe how you would proceed with a comprehensive assessment of a child with suspected ADHD, depression, or both. Support your statements with a minimum of two scholarly articles.