Child Mental Health and Disorders

Child psychiatry is a branch of medicine concerned with areas such as assessing the mental health of children and adolescents, taking preventive measures, and planning diagnosis and treatment. The journey of bringing children from infancy to the end of adolescence is a long and sometimes challenging one. The human infant, born immature and with a special structure, is very closely dependent on its parents in the first months. In the first years of life, babies need an environment that is free from dangers but at the same time emotionally rich and nourishing. While we accompany children as they grow and prepare for the outside world, we can help ensure that their inner worlds develop healthily and are enriched. We can follow the sense of trust that develops through “good enough” care, and the experiences of separation and becoming independent that unfold step by step once secure attachment has been established. These are processes that take place within the family: in the first months between mother and baby, and afterwards through the mutual experience of the father’s more active participation in the relationship. As the baby develops and grows, parents also learn a great deal from this relationship and are transformed.

Every child is different from another because of the characteristics they are born with. For this reason, we need to adapt specifically to each child’s needs. Some children may have personal difficulties that make it impossible for them to take new steps. This may require seeking help. In some cases, however, parents may experience difficulties with the child’s separation and opening up to the outside world. Monitoring the child along his or her own developmental path and providing, in a balanced way, the protection and freedom needed at each stage of growth requires parents to be flexible. Assessing mental health in children depends on a good understanding of the characteristics of developmental stages. Childhood can be filled with fears, anxieties, deprivations and unhappiness.

Early application minimizes losses and increases the success of treatment. Below are problems that may occur in childhood and adolescence. Our clinic has a child and adolescent psychiatrist and a child psychologist who evaluate and treat children’s psychiatric and psychological problems. After a detailed psychiatric examination and, where necessary, psychological tests, the following treatments are applied depending on the type of problem:

• Individual psychotherapy,
• Group therapy,
• Play therapy,
• Medication treatments.

After examining the child/adolescent, the child and adolescent psychiatrist may request some psychological tests that can help with diagnosis. These tests are carried out by psychologists who have received specialized training in test administration. Some of the tests used in our department include:

• Intelligence tests,
• Developmental tests,
• Personality tests,
• Attention tests,
• Neuropsychological tests

What Problems and Disorders Does Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Deal With?

• Attention deficit, hyperactivity disorder
• Specific learning disorder
• Anxiety disorders (exam anxiety, school phobia, obsessive-compulsive disorders, phobias, etc.)
• Tic disorders
• Depression
• Conduct disorders
• Autism and similar disorders
• Intellectual developmental disorders
• Speech disorders (stuttering, articulation problems, etc.)
• Sleep disorders
• Elimination disorders such as enuresis (bedwetting) and encopresis (soiling)
• Adolescent problems
• Eating disorders
• Psychotic disorders (schizophrenia, etc.)
• Adjustment difficulties following events such as illness, death, divorce, migration, disaster, etc.)