Respond to at least two of your colleagues on 2 different days by offering additional insights or alternative perspectives on their analysis of the video, other rating scales that may be used with children, or other treatment options for children not yet mentioned. Be specific and provide a rationale with evidence.
FIRST COLLEAGUE
Joanne B. Harris
Nurs 6665
- What did the practitioner do well? In what areas can the practitioner improve?
What I felt the practitioner did well is a general initial assessment. Adolescents can often be to slow to speak to adults particularly adults. I believe the practitioner did a good job making the patient comfortable by allowing him time to respond to that may be more challenging like break up between him and his brother.
What the practitioner could have done better is investigated what drugs/alcohol the patient has been taking and how much they have been taking. The practitioner could have also investigated past mental health issues as well mental health meds taken. This is significant because drugs and alcohol can have a negative interaction on mental health medications.
- At this point in the clinical interview, do you have any compelling concerns? If so, what are they? What would be your next question, and why?
The only compelling concerns that I have at this point of the interview is the patient’s statement “I don’t even want to be alive.” The next question would be similar to the practitioner in the video. I would go further and ask if he currently has thoughts of harming himself or others and if he has a plan. I would also ask the patient if he is having any audio or visual hallucinations. I would encourage the patient to tell me when he started having suicidal thoughts and if he has ever self-harmed or attempted suicide in the past.
- Explain why a thorough psychiatric assessment of a child/adolescent is important.
The reason the assessment for children and adolescents is important is because assessing children and adolescents is challenging. Typically, the child or adolescents are able to report the nature of their problem but are not good at reporting the timing and duration of the problem. Also, they may not report certain problems because if they are embarrassed or shows them in a bad light (Hoyos, 2020).
- Describe two different symptom rating scales that would be appropriate to use during the psychiatric assessment of a child/adolescent.
The (WASH U K-SADS) is for children 6–18-year-old. This tests for affective disorder and schizophrenia in school aged children. The test is rated on a 7-point severity scale from none to extremely profound. Another rating scale that is used for children and adolescence is (ADIS-C). This test is administered children between the ages of 6-17 years old and tests for anxiety disorders. This test asks many yes and no questions and checks for severity of fear/avoidance/distress/interference information rating from 0 to 8 for each diagnosis (Hoyos, 2020).
- Describe two psychiatric treatment options for children and adolescents that may not be used when treating adults.
One psychiatric treatment used commonly with children is Play therapy. This is used with children and their families. This helps the child express their feelings and improve their communication and resolve problems. Another psychiatric treatment used commonly with adolescents is parent child interaction therapy. This treatment is used to assess the interaction between a child and their guardian to see if there is any maltreatment or abuse that the child is experiencing (Lanier et al., 2020).
- Explain the role parents/guardians play in assessment.
The role guardian plays in the assessment is to help identify optimal times of the day for the child to be assessed. The guardian may interact with the child during the assessment to help the child feel more comfortable. Furthermore, the guardian can provide information about the child during and after the assessment (O’Reilly et al., 2020).
References
Hoyos, C. (2020). Assessment of psychiatric disorders in children. Medicine, 48(11), 694–696. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mpmed.2020.08.006
Lanier, P., Jensen, T., Bryant, K., Chung, G., Rose, R., Smith, Q., & Lackmann, L. (2020). A systematic review of the effectiveness of children’s behavioral health interventions in psychiatric residential treatment facilities. Children and Youth Services Review, 113. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.104951
O’Reilly, M., Muskett, T., Karim, K., & Lester, J. N. (2020). Parents’ constructions of normality and pathology in child mental health assessments. Sociology of Health & Illness, 42(3), 544–564. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9566.13030.
Reply for Discussion
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Reply for Discussion
Response to Joanne B. Harris
The student posted a well-stipulated discussion about all the questions asked. In addition to what the student had provided, the practitioner conducted the psychiatric assessment very well. Indeed, she made the patient comfortable by showing empathy and compassion (Hoyos, 2020). However, the practitioner could have inquired more details about a past relationship and suicidal thoughts which are major concerns. Psychiatric assessment is important in children and adolescents because these individuals face several developmental and sexual problems that are more likely to cause a psychological disturbance.
The student has identified two symptom rating scales, such as the WASH U K-SADS and ADIS-C. The other two include Pediatric Symptom Checklist (PSC) and The Conners’ Rating Scales-Revised (CRS-R) (Williams & Hill, 2020). The primary purpose of these instruments is to enhance the diagnosis of psychiatric illnesses. PSC can be used to diagnose a wide range of psychiatric illnesses. The Conners’ Rating Scales-Revised (CRS-R) is primarily used to evaluate the symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD). Therefore, there are quite a several psychiatric tools that social workers can choose from.
There are several treatment options available for psychiatric illnesses in children and adolescents. Two of them include medication and psychotherapy. Medications are available that can be helpful in adolescents and children (Williams & Hill, 2020). These medications include antidepressants, anti-anxiety medications, stimulants, antipsychotics, and others. Psychotherapy is talk therapy and there are many types such as counseling, creative therapies, cognitive, and others. When conducting a psychiatric assessment of children and adolescents, parents and guardians may be present (Hoyos, 2020). But this can only happen (in the case of an adolescent) if the patient feels comfortable.
References
Hoyos, C. (2020). Assessment of psychiatric disorders in children. Medicine, 48(11), 694–696. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mpmed.2020.08.006
Williams J. & Hill P. D. (2020). The art of child and adolescent psychiatry. Cambridge University Press.