Child Psychiatry is a branch of medicine that is completed after graduating from medical school and then completing 5 years of specialist training. It is defined as ''a doctor who specializes in the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of childhood cognitive and emotional disorders''.
Although there are various debates in the mental health environment about the distinction and functions of psychiatrists and psychologists, professional boundaries have become clearer today. But still There is serious confusion among the public about the distinction between psychiatrists and psychologists and the work they do.
There is a general belief that "A doctor who prescribes medication is a psychiatrist, and a doctor who speaks is a psychologist."
Child Mental Health and Disease specialists are people who have the ability to determine the developmental processes of the child, the environmental, physiological and attitudinal problems that arise during these processes, and to provide the necessary support.
Family supports for the normal progression of cognitive and emotional development in the child, and family interviews for environmental and social arrangements. and interviews with children and adolescents and uses appropriate psychotherapy techniques. In addition, drug treatment practices appropriate to the child's age are also used in necessary diagnoses.
Some socially incorrect beliefs about psychiatric drugs may cause problems in starting drug treatment in children. However, as Child Psychiatry Specialists, the reason for the families' negative thoughts on this issue should be discussed and the necessity of the treatment, its effects and side effects should be explained clearly. In case of cognitive and emotional developmental problems detected in the child, it is very important to determine the situations in which the situation is physiological and to direct the child to the necessary field of expertise.
The demand for Child Psychiatry is increasing day by day in our country. This can be considered as an indicator of increased awareness of other specialist physicians, families, teachers and even the child or young person himself. Although the number of medical faculties offering expertise in this field of expertise has increased, unfortunately there are still not enough Child Psychiatry Specialists for the population in our country.
Child Adolescent Mental Health and Diseases specialists:
1- NON-PHYSIOLOGICAL LANGUAGE AND SPEECH DISORDERS: In other words, the anatomy of the speech organs If there is a language and speech problem that is not caused by conditions such as hearing impairment, hearing problem, epilepsy, hydrocephalus, the diagnosis and treatment process is determined by psychiatric evaluation, family history and psychometric evaluations.
2- AUTISTIC SPECTRUM DISORDERS (OTIM). AND OTHERS): If the child has symptoms such as limited social interaction appropriate to his or her developmental level, insufficient eye contact, retardation in verbal communication, apathy, problems in receiving emotional signals, repetitive behaviors, limitations in peer relationships, etc., a psychiatric evaluation should be performed. Arrangement of treatment and treatment follow-up should be discussed.
3- ATTENTION DEFICIT HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER: Diagnosis and treatment arrangements for this disorder, which creates negative effects on family, school and social life with its main symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity. It should be done by a child psychiatrist.
4- SPECIFIC LEARNING DISORDER: Psychiatric evaluation if the child has problems in learning concepts appropriate to his age and development level, problems in learning letters and numbers, problems in direction and time development, Diagnosis is made through psychometric evaluation, treatment is arranged and monitored.
5- DEPRESSION: The child experiences unhappiness, sad facial expression, anger, behavioral changes, tension, reluctance, for more than 1 month. If there are symptoms such as fatigue, evaluations and interviews are conducted. Physiological causes must be excluded. Diagnosis and treatment are followed.
6- ANXIETY DISORDERS: These conditions, which present with different symptoms such as separation anxiety, generalized anxiety disorder, and panic disorder, are also seen in children. Symptoms such as sudden emotional changes, anxious state, fears, sleep changes, not wanting to go to school, fear of being alone may be observed. A psychiatric evaluation must be made and appropriate treatment options must be discussed.
7-TIC DISORDERS: It is a sudden, repetitive, non-rhythmic, involuntary contraction of motor and/or vocal muscles in children. In such cases, whether tics are temporary or chronic is determined by psychiatric evaluation and follow-up. Treatment options can be reviewed with the family and child. If left untreated, social, academic and It can cause problems in the person's self-perception.
8- EATING PROBLEMS: It is one of the main problems of mothers, especially in young children. Support is given after psychiatric evaluation about correct eating habits and maternal attitudes regarding this issue.
If the nutritional problem is caused by another physiological problem, referrals are made to the necessary specialists. Eating disorders such as BULIMIA and ANOREXIA NERVOSA can also be seen in later ages, generally between the ages of 16 and 20, and mostly in girls, due to concerns about body image, family and peer conflicts, etc. After a comprehensive medical evaluation, it should be followed up with appropriate treatment.
9- DISRUPTIVE BEHAVIOR DISORDERS: Arguing with adults, being angry, problems in friendships, difficulties in complying with social rules, knowingly hurting people or If behavioral problems, which have many symptoms such as harming animals, stealing, and lying, do not receive correct diagnosis and treatment support, significant problems will occur in the family, social and academic environment.
10-SLEEP DISORDERS: Especially in children with developmental delay problems, treatments are provided for falling asleep and maintaining sleep and insufficient sleep duration. In cases such as normal sleep rhythm disorders, nightmare disorder, night terrors, teeth grinding and sleep wandering, they are evaluated psychiatrically and, if necessary, physiologically and appropriate treatment is determined. There are many reasons. Mental retardation causes problems in areas such as learning, affect, organizing behavior and attention. We do not treat mental retardation. We apply the necessary treatments for the problems that occur due to this problem.
12- OBSESSIVE COMPULSIVE DISORDER:The child may have normal regularity, checks, and sequential actions. These do not negatively affect the flow of daily life. When these routines become compulsory and when they are not done, they create emotions such as anxiety, fear, excitement and the need to perform repetitive obsessive behaviors more frequently in order to get rid of them, this situation can be considered as an OBSESSION DISORDER.
In this case, get support from Child Psychiatry. diagnosis and It is important for treatment. Especially if these types of conditions that start early are not diagnosed and treated early, they will lead to more significant problems in adulthood.
13- ADOLESCENCE PROBLEMS:Adolescence is a normal period in the development process. But sometimes this Supportive treatments are useful in cases where the family and the adolescent have difficulty coping, such as intense anxiety experienced during the period, future concerns brought about by living conditions, problems with the circle of friends, problems in communication with the family, substance use problems.
14: EXAM ANXIETY:Actually, this is mentioned in anxiety disorders, but again, the changing education and examination system can cause serious problems in children and families. In this regard, supportive, anxiety-coping and, if necessary, drug treatments are applied.
Although many other psychiatric condition evaluations are performed, I wanted to mention the main, more specific ones above. At the same time, in many cases such as children's toilet habits, sleeping habits, eating habits, parents' divorce, having siblings and sibling jealousy, in the normal development process, there are interviews and interviews for families and children who only have problems in coping with symptoms at the level of psychiatric disorder, even if there is no disorder. Consultancy is provided for this purpose.
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