A Comparative Analysis: Psychiatric Assessment of Children/Adults

This essay provides a comparative analysis of psychiatric assessment for children, adolescents, and adults. It highlights the distinct approaches required for each population, emphasizing the importance of family involvement in pediatric cases and the consideration of risk factors in adults. The assessment process, encompassing engagement, evaluation, and treatment planning, is explored, with attention given to the clinical standards of care. The essay underscores the time-consuming nature of child assessments and the need for patience and awareness. It contrasts the interview settings, noting the involvement of family members in child assessments versus the potential for private interviews with adults. Furthermore, the essay outlines the steps involved in assessment, including gathering information from various sources, reviewing medical and family history, and addressing specific considerations like substance abuse and trauma. Finally, the essay discusses treatment planning, emphasizing individualized care and the integration of various interventions to meet the unique needs of each patient.

Running head: PSYCHIATRIC ASSESSMENT OF CHILDREN/ADOLESCENTS AND
ADULTS
Psychiatric assessment of children/adolescents and adults
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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PSYCHIATRIC ASSESSMENT OF CHILDREN/ADOLESCENTS AND ADULTS
Psychiatric assessment is the process of evaluating causes, symptoms, consequences
of the disease to frame a diagnosis and plan of intervention and to be answerable to any
questions asked by the patient. Psychological assessment for adults are done to determine
changes in the emotional and personality characters to improve overall health by installing
appropriate diagnosis and providing best intervention modality whereas in children the
assessment determines the changes in the behaviour, academic ability, and functioning of
reasoning and emotion with the help of their family and interventions are made available in
schools, educational places or at home (MSD Manual Professional Edition, 2020).
Psychiatric assessment of children and adolescents is time-consuming when
compared to the evaluation of adults. Taking interview of a child and evaluating the
information for further treatment is a difficult job for a child psychiatrist because it requires
more awareness. Children and adolescent are evaluated in a caregiving atmosphere where
parents and family are an integral part of giving information about their child and planning
appropriate treatment. On the other hand, adults are assessed based on various risk factors
such as alcohol abuse, past trauma and suicidal thoughts (Slee, 2002).
Similar steps for psychiatric assessment of children and adults according to the
clinical standards of care are followed by the therapist to provide access to mental health
service. The first step is engagement where the child and their family should be contacted to
increase interaction with the child to know the facts related to the difficulty. Children require
more time to engage in a conversation and will be unable to explain the difficulty they are
facing therefore many approaches should be used to engage the family during assessment
(Omh.ny.gov, 2020). The adult patients meet the psychiatrist privately to diminish their
problems. To get accurate behavioural data of the patient, a continuous relationship with the
patient should be maintained by hospital staff (Vergare et al., 2006).

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PSYCHIATRIC ASSESSMENT OF CHILDREN/ADOLESCENTS AND ADULTS
The second step is assessment where the process begins with child or
adolescent and their family and information about the reason for bringing the child into the
clinic should be collected from school personnel, present and previous therapist, healthcare
providers and juvenile justice personnel for treatment as well as the strengths of the family
and the child. The assessment process includes a complete mental health evaluation which
includes interview with the child or adolescent alone and with the family. A review on the
medical history and symptoms related to previous treatments and reaction to the treatment is
obtained along with present information from the healthcare provider. The family history
based on mental health in all members of the family and situations or conditions that can
show an impact on the child or adolescent should be assessed along with risk factors affecting
them. The interview of adult patient is specific and may include other family members or
close networks if the patient has cognitive injuries to gain knowledge on the symptoms seen
in the patients that may have arisen before the patient was hospitalized or as a consequence of
ongoing treatment (Egger, 2009). When family members of adults are interviewed, it is
significant to discuss their beliefs on the patient’s disorder and previous treatment. The
documentation of the patient’s illness is made keeping it confidential to the nonpsychiatric
sector of the medical service. Patients associated with alcoholism or drug abuse should be
assessed for relating the use of addictive substances and psychiatric symptoms. Any
traumatic events in the patient’s life, history of loss of a family member, physical or sexual
abuse and its response by the patient is evaluated. The functional assessment of the patient is
done including functional strengths, daily physical activities and instrumental activities
(Schützwohl et al., 2016).
The final step is treatment plan and ongoing care where the child is needed to have
comprehensive care in an ordered way and time considering the child and their family needs
and strengths which is documented and approved by the supervisor and all clinicians

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PSYCHIATRIC ASSESSMENT OF CHILDREN/ADOLESCENTS AND ADULTS
participating in the plan. The treatment should be specific to the child and consulted by the
people present in the child’s life including family, teachers, friends and community resources.
The treatment is responsive to specific developmental needs of the child or the adolescent
(Volkmar et al., 2014). The treatment plan for adults address domains including
psychological, biological and sociocultural interventions thereby integrating a multimodel
treatment as selected by the psychiatrist. The risk and advantages of the treatment options are
documented to advise an optimal treatment for the patient and it involves person-centred care
(Vergare et al., 2006).
Therefore it can be concluded that assessment for child or adolescent requires more
awareness and patience regarding the interview session whereas the adult interview is held
for a short time. The child assessment involves family members and people with whom the
child has close or daily interaction because it enhances the evaluation process whereas the
adult patients may or may not require any family members.

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PSYCHIATRIC ASSESSMENT OF CHILDREN/ADOLESCENTS AND ADULTS
References
Egger, H. L. (2009). Psychiatric assessment of young children. Child and Adolescent
Psychiatric Clinics, 18(3), 559-580.
MSD Manual Professional Edition. (2020). Routine Psychiatric Assessment - Psychiatric
Disorders - MSD Manual Professional Edition. Retrieved 1 March 2020, from
https://www.msdmanuals.com/professional/psychiatric-disorders/approach-to-the-
patient-with-mental-symptoms/routine-psychiatric-assessment
Omh.ny.gov. (2020). Appendix 2: Standards of Care for Children, Adolescents, and their
Families. Retrieved 1 March 2020, from
https://omh.ny.gov/omhweb/clinic_restructuring/appendix2.html
Schützwohl, M., Koch, A., Koslowski, N., Puschner, B., Voß, E., Salize, H. J., ... & Vogel,
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Volkmar, F., Siegel, M., Woodbury-Smith, M., King, B., McCracken, J., & State, M. (2014).
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