Child Psychiatry: Definition, History and Referencing
Definition
Child psychiatry is a field of medicine that focuses on the mental health of children and adolescents. It is a subspecialty of psychiatry and involves diagnosing and treating mental, emotional, and behavioral disorders in children and adolescents. This field also focuses on the prevention of mental health problems in children. Child psychiatrists work closely with other pediatric professionals, including primary care physicians, psychologists, social workers, and other mental health professionals, to provide comprehensive care for their patients.
History
Although child psychiatry as a specialty has been developing since the early 1900s, it wasn’t until the 1960s that it began to become more widely accepted and practiced. During this time, psychoanalytic theory and practice was the dominant approach to understanding and treating mental health issues in children. However, the emergence of more research-based approaches, such as behavioral and cognitive-behavioral therapies, has led to a broader range of treatments available to children and adolescents. Today, child psychiatrists are trained to use a variety of evidence-based approaches to help children and adolescents manage their mental health problems.
References
American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. (n.d.). About Us. Retrieved from https://www.aacap.org/AACAP/Families_and_Youth/About_Child_and_Adolescent_Psychiatry/About_Us.aspx
Koplewicz, H. S. (2016). Child psychiatry: A primer. Springer.
O’Donohue, W., & Cummings, C. (2017). Child & adolescent psychiatry: A comprehensive textbook. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
U.S. National Library of Medicine. (2020). Child psychiatry. Retrieved from https://medlineplus.gov/childpsychiatry.html