How do health care professionals diagnose mental illness in children?

Mental health conditions in children are diagnosed and treated based on signs and symptoms and how the condition affects a child's daily life. To make a diagnosis, your child's doctor might recommend that your child be evaluated by a specialist, such as a psychiatrist, psychologist, clinical social worker, psychiatric nurse or other mental health care professional. The evaluation might include:

• Complete medical exam
• Medical history
• History of physical or emotional trauma
• Family history of physical and mental health
• Review of symptoms and general concerns with parents
• Timeline of child's developmental progress
• Academic history
• Interview with parents
• Conversations with and observations of the child
• Standardized assessments and questionnaires for child and parents

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), a guide published by the American Psychiatric Association, provides criteria for making a diagnosis based on the nature, duration and impact of signs and symptoms. Another commonly used diagnostic guideline is the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) from the World Health Organization.

Diagnosing mental illness in children can take time because young children may have trouble understanding or expressing their feelings, and normal development varies. The doctor may change or refine a diagnosis over time.