Child psychiatry, also known as child and adolescent psychiatry, is a subspecialty of psychiatric medicine. Its focus is on treating children and teenagers with mental illnesses, learning disorders or impairments, and other conditions from a variety of perspectives. Though this field of medicine is now a widely accepted discipline and subspecialty of psychiatry, the idea of creating separate specialization designations didn’t gain traction until the second half of the twentieth century. A child psychiatrist today typically has more training than a psychiatrist who is licensed as a general psychiatrist.
The focus of psychiatry is on the treatment and diagnosis of mental disorders, but child psychiatry takes a slightly different approach. Children and adolescents are not treated in the same way that adults are. People who are still developing their bodies, minds, and worldviews are very different from those who have already reached adulthood. Those who disagree with this premise might observe the behavior of a pre-teen and compare it to that of a woman in her twenties; it’s clear that the two people’s behaviors are rarely the same.
As a result, one question that child psychiatry might consider is, “How do mental illness manifestations differ in children and adults?” Understanding the distinction aids in identifying how mental illness symptoms manifest in children. As a result, diagnostic standards can be developed that can be used after an assessment to provide opinions on whether or not mental disorders exist.
A similar set of questions arises when deciding on treatment after a diagnosis. Whether the treatment is therapy or medication, the focus must be on how to heal children rather than adults. The same drug doses may not work, the same forms of therapy may not work, and new modalities must be investigated in order to develop the most effective treatments for children and adolescents. The additional years of specialization enable child psychiatrists to learn and explore these modalities, allowing them to become experts in diagnosing and treating the population they serve.
It’s common to think of child psychiatry as only working with individuals or families, but professionals in this field can work in a variety of settings. They could work in education in public or private schools, teach, work in institutions where children reside, or conduct research, which is essential for gaining more knowledge in this field. Child psychiatrists may also work in fields other than child psychology, such as forensics, or as consultants or investigators for child protective agencies.
Other specialists in the field collaborate closely with the field. For example, not all child psychiatry clinicians provide mental health counseling. Nonetheless, they may recommend it to their patients and would collaborate closely with a therapist as part of a treatment team. A treatment team could include any type of pediatrics or pediatric specialty, especially when a child has a variety of mental, medical, and physical needs.
Those interested in specializing in child psychiatry must complete extensive training. People spend four years in medical school and internship after completing a four-year degree. They will then complete three years of general psychiatry residency and two years of child psychiatry residency. Occasionally, residencies are built in slightly different ways. Maintaining board certification or licensure will almost certainly necessitate periodic continuing education.