Author: Smart Sites

Mental health problems in children present a variety of symptoms that parents should always be on the lookout for. If you suspect that your child may be struggling with a mental problem, the best thing you can do is consult a psychiatrist in Brooklyn for professional diagnosis and treatment. As a parent, however, you may be wondering why your child may need a psychiatrist. Here are some of the signs that may make finding psychiatric support for your child critical.

General Anxiety

While it is okay for a child to be anxious at particular moments (such as before they sit for a major exam), chronic anxiety is a negative thing and may require medical intervention. One sign that could indicate your child is suffering from an anxiety disorder is the constant need to seek information on issues that may not directly affect them or that have little to no chance of ever affecting them. Seeking information is a way of coping with anxiety as one seeks to reassure themselves that one can handle whatever they are afraid of. This behavior can affect other aspects of the child’s life such as their education, social life, and so on. If anxiety is affecting the quality of life that your child lives, it might be time to get help from a child psychiatrist.

Changes In Sleep Patterns

Another indicator that your child may need to see a psychiatrist is if you notice changes in their sleep behavior. This could be in two ways. The child may struggle to sleep, which can be an indicator of anxiety, drug use, or a number of other problems that require professional intervention. They may also sleep more than they used to which could also be an indicator of any number of mental or behavioral problems. If you notice changes in your child’s sleep patterns, it is always a good idea to see a child psychiatrist in order to assess what the child may be experiencing and intervene if any psychiatric problems are noticed.

Changes In Social Activities

Just like changes in sleep patterns, unexplained changes in the social dynamic of the child may be an indicator of mental problems and could require professional intervention. A good example is a child who suddenly isolates themselves from friends and siblings without any obvious reason. A child who had few friends may also suddenly become overly social even with peers that he or she would not normally fraternize with. While there are reasonable explanations for these behaviors, it is the sudden, unexplained shift that is often the red flag. In such a case, a child psychiatrist can assess the child and understand what are the issues that are driving this shift in behavior.

Clinginess

If a child who was previously independent becomes suddenly clingy, it could be an indicator that they are struggling with a mental problem. Such behavior could be an indicator of anxiety and a child psychiatrist will help them to get to the root of the problem. Treatment may include building the child’s self-confidence by changing how the child perceives the surrounding environment. 

When you are seeking to help your child overcome mental health problems or developmental issues, you may hear some terms being used interchangeably. These two terms are child psychiatrist and developmental pediatrician. The reality is that these two terms refer to two different kinds of professionals. The only common link between the two is that they both work with your child to ensure that they grow up healthy and achieve the developmental milestones that children are supposed to achieve at different stages of their lives. So what is the difference? Let us look at the roles of a child psychiatrist vs. developmental pediatrician in Brooklyn.

What Is A Child Psychiatrist?

A child psychiatrist is a medical professional whose ultimate focus is the mental health of children. They work with children of all ages, up to the age of 18. For them to achieve their goals, child psychiatrists will often work with the community of people around the child. This includes parents or anyone who is the primary caregiver of the child in question. They also work with teachers, as well as any other significant individuals in the child’s life. They are trained to understand and treat behavioral, biological, social, and even familial issues that may affect the mental health of the child.

Some of the medical conditions that a child psychiatrist can handle in children include depression, autism, anxiety disorders, and eating disorders, among many others. To do this, they typically have to use two or more techniques and approaches to assess and manage the issue at hand. These techniques and approaches include psychiatric assessments, laboratory tests, diagnostic imaging exams, and much more. They also have a license to prescribe medication for their patients to help them cope with the conditions that they may be suffering from.

What Is A Developmental Pediatrician?

Developmental pediatricians are also medical specialists whose focus is to treat any learning or developmental issues that your child may be suffering from. These medical professionals are able to provide help with a wide range of developmental issues, such as learning difficulties (math disorders, dyslexia, and others). They are also able to provide help with attention disorders such as conduct problems, attention deficit or hyperactivity, and much more. 

What Is The Difference?

As you may have noticed from our definition, there is a lot of overlap between the two fields. In the adult world, it is similar to the overlap between adult psychiatry and behavioral neurology. Unlike child psychiatrists, developmental pediatricians seldom prescribe stimulant medications to their patients.  If developmental pediatricians  realize that a medication regime will be required for a particular child, they are likely to refer the child to a child psychiatrist. However, the fact that they focus on developmental issues means that they are well-placed to handle these kinds of issues, both in terms of training and experience. In this sense, if a parent understands what exactly is wrong with the child (such as a learning difficulty), they may seek the help of a developmental pediatrician who specializes in learning difficulties. However, for the assessment and management of conditions that are yet unknown, a child psychiatrist may be a better starting point.

Wonder Years Psychiatric Services offers holistic diagnostic assessment for a wide range of psychiatric conditions. We also can help with second opinions as well as follow-up treatment. Here are some reasons why you should consider Wonder Years psychiatric service to help with any psychiatric treatment approaches that you may need.

Qualified Staff

At Wonder Years Psychiatric Services, we have a broad range of expertise that uniquely qualifies us to handle any range of mental health treatment options. We work in a collaborative approach with teachers, family members, patients, and the community around our patients in order to deliver effective mental health treatment solutions.

Broad Range Of Solutions

One of the great things about working with Wonder Years Psychiatric Services is the fact that your child will get a full range of treatment options under a single roof. These treatment options depend on the unique needs of our patients but the fact that they are delivered under one roof means that your child is likely to get effective treatment. This is because of the trust that our specialists build with our patients and the fact that we seek holistic solutions. Some of the mental health conditions that we are able to help our patients with include depression, ADHD, anxiety or panic attacks, and much more.

Different Approaches to Treatment

At Wonder Years Psychiatric Services, we have innovative approaches when it comes to the delivery of mental health treatment solutions. For example, in Brooklyn, we offer telepsychiatry as an option for patients who may not be able to have face-to-face sessions with our specialists. Even though the initial appointment must always be done in person, telepsychiatry is an option for patients in the area. This helps as it is a lot more flexible, especially for parents with time constraints. When you come for your initial appointment, we always perform a comprehensive assessment which helps our specialists to understand what the needs of the patients are. We recommend that parents or the child’s care provider are also present during this initial assessment. 

We always ask the care providers to come with copies of any previous psychiatric assessments of the child which help us to establish a baseline when it comes to the needs of the child. This way, we are able to understand the patient better and work towards effective solutions.

Affordable Healthcare Services

At Wonder Years Psychiatric Services, we believe in the concept of affordable mental healthcare solutions for all our patients. We work with two of the leading healthcare insurance providers namely Aetna and Cigna when it comes to our founder Dr. Malik. However, our other providers are in-network providers with various other health insurance companies. We are always happy to provide information about the different insurance companies that we work for so you can plan better. You will also be glad to know that we provide all the receipts and paperwork that you will need to file your claim with the insurance company. It also helps to talk to your insurance company at the start so you can also understand the level of coverage that you can expect from them when you approach us for mental health treatment.

When you are looking for the right child psychiatrists in Brooklyn, it is important to ensure that you go through the selection process very carefully. Not only is the choice critical for your child’s mental health but the wrong psychiatrist can actually make the problem worse. There are a number of factors to keep in mind when looking for the best child psychiatrists in Brooklyn. Here is what you need to keep in mind.

The Right Experience

Depending on the medical problem at hand, getting the right psychiatrist for your child should be guided by the level of experience the psychiatrist has. A psychiatrist could have a lot of experience in general but not much in dealing with the problem at hand. More so, you may need to check if the care provider specializes only in child psychiatry or offers a broad range of services to various demographics. This matters because a child psychiatrist is likely to offer more effective solutions to your child as they are specifically trained and experienced in dealing with the unique needs of children and adolescents.

Check References

Beyond the information that your child psychiatrist may put out there, it also helps to check what their previous clients say about them. This is because references come from people who have experienced first-hand what a child psychiatrist has to offer and are able to give you a realistic picture of what you can expect. There are a number of things that come into play when your child is undergoing mental health treatment that may not be initially obvious. For example, how easy is it to get appointments, what kind of involvement can you expect as a parent in the process, and what level of support do you get when filing for insurance claims?

If these issues are not handled well, they may ruin the entire experience and could even affect the quality of treatment that your child receives. Some of these issues can only be explained by people who have gone through the process themselves. You can get references about your proposed child psychiatrist from teachers, parent groups, and even online support communities. 

Ask Questions

One mistake that parents make when choosing a child psychiatrist is not asking enough questions regarding the process. For most parents, especially those dealing with a child psychiatrist for the first time, it might be difficult to know what to expect. Asking questions helps you to set realistic expectations as well as understand your role in the treatment process. When you ask questions, you are also able to assess the level of professionalism of the proposed child psychiatrist which can help you understand their suitability for the process at hand. Asking questions will also help you to learn of any innovative approaches to mental health treatment that may be available. For example, does your child psychiatrist offer telepsychiatry as an option? Such innovative approaches to mental health treatment can help you manage the treatment process better.

Pre-Treatment Assessment

One way to distinguish between top-notch child psychiatrists is to look at their pre-treatment assessment. The more in-depth it is, the more likely that the therapists will understand the underlying problem and work to solve it.

Preteens and adolescents with mental health disorders can get help in a variety of ways. While parents may not know how to deal with such problems, the good news is that depending on the severity of the condition, there are a number of options that doctors can use to treat such disorders. In this article, we look at some approaches that are used for mental health treatment for adolescents.

Acceptance And Commitment Therapy

This is usually abbreviated to ACT and is a tangent of cognitive behavior therapy. The approach is based on mindfulness and seeks to change how your child perceives the outside world. In particular, it aims to train your child to learn how to accept things that are beyond their control and to have a greater sense of control over how they respond to the events happening around them. Part of this is by learning to accept their emotional reactions to events around them, rather than try to stifle or deny them. 

Behavior Therapy

Behavior therapy is a part of Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) and focuses on behavioral changes that will help your child cope with the circumstances that they are facing. The approach aims to equip your child with healthy coping skills that allow them to deal with any situation without resorting to harmful habits such as drug or alcohol use.

Cognitive Behavior Therapy

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy or CBT is based on the principle that the way we think (cognition) plays a large part in how we feel and in turn, this affects how we behave. By changing our cognitive patterns, we are able to change our emotions and our behavior. Unhelpful thinking patterns such as insecurities, fear, or anxiety can have a profound effect on how we behave. When a child is able to link their thinking patterns with their behavior, they are then able to begin to change these harmful patterns. That is because for most children, this thinking-behavior pattern often flies under the radar and they are usually not even conscious of it. When it is brought to the fore by skilled mental health experts, your child is able to begin to break these patterns and live a significantly healthier life.

Counseling

This is a one-on-one talking therapy where a trained counselor or therapist is able to help your child work through their problems. Counseling offers your child a safe, non-judgmental space where they can open up and discuss their fears and any other issue that may be affecting them. The counselor typically controls the direction of the conversion, ensuring that the child can open up and talk through their problems. When we express ourselves, we are typically able to look at things objectively and solutions that were not apparent to us can become evident after such a session. The counselor is also able to use their skills to help the child explore areas of their thoughts and feelings that may give your child helpful insights as to their emotions and behavior.

The widespread side effects are loss of appetite or insomnia. More ADHD medicine side effects are irritability, jitteriness, headaches, moodiness, stomachaches, racing heart rate, or high blood pressure. Here is a review of the side effects of ADHD medication.

Several Side Effects of ADHD Medicines — or Treatments

The hazards of possible ADHD medication side effects keep most parents or adults from starting these treatments. These side effects, however, are reduced over time. Parents may need to determine if their child could tolerate these reactions for a certain period or change medications, especially if they affect their child’s ability to focus.

Here are some very typical adverse reactions or treatments for these.

• Decreased appetite
• Weight loss
• Stomach Problems
• Upset stomach

“When a kid begins medication, there can be a one-to-three-pound weight loss over the first month,” Dickson says. “However, it is typical for the kid to regain the mass in the following three months.”

Treatment

• Prepare nourishing meals and snacks in advance to feed your kids when they are hungry.
• Try to eat before the medication works or once the medication wears off.
• Consume medication with milk or food.

Insomnia

• Abstain from electronics for one hour before sleep.
• Employ a White Noise Machine or Soft Music to relax.
• Try altering your medicine timing or dosage.

Irritability or Mood Alteration

“Irritability when on medication might be a side effect of the medicine or an indication that a kid may have other disorders,” Dickson states.

Consult your doctor to increase a little second dose to prevent the “rebound” once the meds fade off.

Consult a doctor for some related ailments like anxiety.

Headaches

“Give Tylenol or Motrin when needed,” Dickson states.

When headaches continue, try altering the dosage with the physician.

Dry Mouth

• Hold a water bottle.
• Take some sugar-free candy.
• Talk to your physician about other medication choices when side effects continue or impact daily living or general well-being.

Side Effects of Stimulants

While stimulant medications for ADHD hold distinct names or doses, the methods they function within the brain are almost similar. Owing to this, they would probably lead to many side effects like worsening appetite, anxiety, or tummy upsets.

Typical stimulant side effects of ADHD medication are:

• A worsening appetite may result in undesired weight loss in grownups or lower weight gain in kids
• Dizziness
• Dry mouth
• Headaches
• Aggression
• Mood swings involving anger, agitation, or aggression
• Vomiting, nausea, or diarrhea
• Trouble falling asleep and staying asleep
• Anxiety or muscle strain
• Heightened blood pressure or heart rate
• Tics

Side Effects of Non-Stimulants

Many might imagine that taking a non-stimulant may assist them in escaping all the side effects of ADHD medication. Still, non-stimulants may trigger their list of undesirable side effects. Also, there is plenty of overlap between ADHD medicines with their side effects. Resembling all additional side effects, these might last for several weeks as the body gets used to them.

Typical Side Effects of Non-Stimulant ADHD Medication:

• Tummy aches with vomiting, nausea, or constipation
• Deteriorating agitation, depression, or anxiety
• Sleep issues
• Deteriorating appetite
• Feeling tired and exhausted
• Headache
• Dry Mouth
• Liver Damage
• Blood pressure and heart rate rising
• Sexual dysfunction or pain in urinating

Medication might also trigger these emotions:

• Mood swings: depressive moods or “lows” might be sufficiently powerful to trigger suicidal ideation or actions
• Heightened volatility and violence: this may trigger aggressive fights with others
• Heightened anxiety, worry, or physical tension

Effects on Sleep

These forms of medicine for ADHD may disturb sleep in unwanted ways.

ADHD and Anxiety often exist together.  Research suggests that 25% and to 33% of children with ADHD have a co-existing (or comorbid) anxiety disorder.  Childhood anxiety is the second most common condition co-existing with ADHD.

Where the Confusion Arises

​The significant symptoms of ADHD and Anxiety are almost the same and might get aggravated by the presence of the underlying disorder. Both diagnoses may cause children to display poor concentration, behavioral difficulties, social or learning difficulties, sleeping difficulties, and a lousy change in appetite.  Despite this, what is behind these symptoms, and even how they get treated, is distinct.

​​“Misdiagnosis” Versus “Missed Diagnosis”

One instance of how misdiagnosis might happen is when Anxiety symptoms get mixed up with a bodily concern because a kid complains of headaches or stomach aches.  When a kid has problems making friends due to their anxiety, low self-confidence, or reactive behavior, anxiety might get misdiagnosed as a Social Communication Disorder like Autism.

Where a kid displays “explosive behavior” as a component of the “fight or flight” reaction to anxiety, this can get mixed up with ODD or owing to non-explicit symptoms. Thus, anxiety might then get looked over as a comorbid diagnosis when ADHD is already pre-existent.

How Do We Discern The Differences?

Sadly, there are no magic formulas or universally recognized assessment tools for checking if a kid has ADHD, Anxiety, or all these.  Like all childhood developmental and emotional health disorders, it may require time, review, and a full assessment to know where a kid’s difficulties come from.  This may need gathering data in different settings and closely reviewing the kid’s behavior, perhaps over multiple visits.

Several Clues That Indicate Anxiety

• Children with Anxiety are at times more alert to pick up social cues (e.g., they identify and fret over how they appear to other people)
• Children with Anxiety seek reassurance and planning for games
• Children with Anxiety might have physiological symptoms (nausea, abdominal pains, dizziness, racing heart, etc.)

Children with Anxiety display less problematic behavior once they feel calm and not threatened.

​​How Do We Support a Child with ADHD and Anxiety?

Although there are resemblances between the symptoms, the cause of every symptom is distinct, and every diagnosis demands a specialized treatment and regimen.   As a universal rule, it may help to test out environmental alterations and behavioral therapy before giving the kids medication.

Cognitive-behavior Therapy with Child Psychologists is the primary treatment for anxiety in children. However, it depends on kids being capable of staying still and cognitively engaging for 50 minutes per week which may be hard for kids with ADHD.

​Medication choices are accessible for all these conditions if needed.  It is important to note that stimulant medications for ADHD act fast (days or weeks), whereas anti-anxiety medicines take a longer time (weeks to months) to see the effects.

​​Behavioral Treatments for ADHD

• Children with ADHD cope best in an organized setting that is free from mess.
• At school and at times that demand concentration, remove external distractions for your kid by seating them far from glass panes, close to instructors, and in a clean and tiny area.

​Behavioral Treatments for Anxiety

• When needed, model and compliment non-anxious actions and diminish attention on anxious actions, as delivering too much reassurance can reinforce their fears.
• Compliment and reward kids for “having a go” at the tasks they find rigid and concentrate as much as you can on the “effort” instead of the “successful completion” of any work.
• Resembling kids with ADHD, kids with Anxiety may be helped by structure and routine.