It’s sometimes hard for parents to know when a child is developing a mental health or behavioral condition rather than exhibiting normal behaviors, especially during adolescence. If you’re worried about your child, Guadalupe Psychiatric and Mental Health Services in Los Lunas, Albuquerque, and Rio Rancho, New Mexico, can help. The practice’s child psychiatry specialists excel at assisting young people in improving their mental health. Call Guadalupe Psychiatric and Mental Health Services today or book a child psychiatry appointment online.
Child psychiatry is a mental health specialty catering to the specific needs of children and young people before they reach adulthood.
Children are just as vulnerable to mental health problems as adults and require expert treatment from professionals skilled in helping young people with psychiatric disorders.
Developmental and behavioral disorders also become apparent in childhood, making school and home life even more challenging for children, their teachers, and caregivers. Guadalupe Psychiatric and Mental Health Services has experts in child psychiatry on staff.
Disorders that are most common in children include the following:
Many children and adolescents have more than one mental health problem. For example, your child might suffer from ADHD and depression or have an eating disorder and OCD.
Signs indicating your child might have a mental health problem include:
Each child and their family is unique, so there are no hard and fast rules about consulting a child psychiatrist. As a guideline, you might consider child psychiatry if your child is often miserable or low, if problematic behaviors happen frequently, or if they struggle at school.
The Guadalupe Psychiatric and Mental Health Services team provides comprehensive age-appropriate psychological assessments. These might include digital or gamified evaluations tailored to your child’s developmental level.
Child psychiatry treatments include psychotherapy, which involves a skilled therapist talking with older children or using games and activities to engage young children. These approaches help to find the root cause of your child’s problems so they can receive successful treatment. Parent education and support are also vital.
In some cases, medication might be appropriate; for example, stimulants can be beneficial in managing ADHD symptoms.
You can be sure your child is in safe hands with the Guadalupe Psychiatric and Mental Health Services team. Call the office today or book an appointment online to get the help your child needs.