Psychiatry

Prevention, diagnosis and treatment of mental illness in children:

• retardation of mental and speech development,
• autism spectrum disorder (ASD),
• communication problems
• mental retardation,
• fears, increased anxiety, panic states,
• depressive conditions
• tics, Tourette’s syndrome,
• irritability, temper, impulsiveness, emotional instability,
• psychoses: bipolar disorder, childhood schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder,
• adaptation disorders,
• psychosomatic disorders
• aggression, conflict, disobedience, negativity,
• carelessness, restlessness,
• obsessively repeating thoughts and actions,
• eating disorders: anorexia, bulimia,
• enuresis (urinary incontinence), encopresis (fecal incontinence),
• sleep disturbances
• We conduct additional types of examinations: electroencephalography (EEG), neurosonography (ultrasound of the brain), etc.

Child psychiatry is a very important area of medicine. Many children are susceptible to various mental illnesses – these may be congenital pathologies and hereditary diseases; acquired disorders due to the still fragile psyche of the child; as well as problems resulting from improper upbringing.

A psychiatrist works with mental disorders, their symptoms and causes, the specifics of diagnosis and treatment, as well as the prevention of mental illness in children and teenagers.

Parents can consult the pediatric psychiatrist on their own or be referred by a pediatrician, pediatric psychologist, neurologist, speech therapist and other pediatric specialists.

When do I need help from a pediatric psychiatrist?

What should alert parents in their child?

In early childhood: delayed speech and mental development, irritability, excitability, restlessness, sleep disturbances, delayed formation of neatness skills.

It makes sense to consult a pediatric psychiatrist starting from the age of three years.

In the pre-school and junior school age:

• hyperactivity (after 3 years);
• persistent monotonous games, especially with non-game items (ropes, sticks);
• retardation of reactions,
• obsessive repetitive movements and actions,
• problems with adaptation at school,
• delayed speech and mental development,
• bad habits (the child bites nails, touches the genitals, pulls out the hair, sways before bedtime, fantasizes too much (for example, transforms into a character and does not come out of it for a long time),
• stuttering;
• incontinence of urine or feces;
• repeating fears day or night
• somnambulism, consecration.

In the teenage years:

• aggressiveness, a tendency to leave and wander around, cruelty, suicidal tendencies, isolation, hatred for loved ones,
• refusal of food, obsessive desire to lose weight,
• overly painful perception of their minor physical disability (looping on it),
• one-sided hobbies at which the child spends most of the time at the cost of communication and studying.

How to prepare for psychiatrist appointment?

Try not to focus too much on the appointment. It is desirable, that the child is calm and confident.

Explain to the little kids, what type of doctor they are about to encounter (for instance, “doctor, who helps with feelings” or “doctor, who will talk to you”), and there will be no painful manipulations (shots etc.)

How does a psychiatrist appointment proceed?

At first, the parents and the child share their problems, and then the doctor questions the parents about the course of the pregnancy, the main stages of the psychomotor development, how the child behaves and fares in the kindergarten, school.

Afterwards, the doctor talks to a child, examines them and talks to the parents again, suggesting the reasons for the child’s condition.

If any additional examinations are necessary, such as: consultation of a pediatric neurologist, psychologist, speech therapist, EEG, the doctor refers to the necessary specialist.

After passing the diagnostic examinations, the psychiatrist draws up a plan of treatment and provides recommendations.

What additional tests might a pediatric psychiatrist prescribe?

• electroencephalography (EEG)
• neurosonography (ultrasound of the brain)
• consultations of other children’s specialists (neurologist, psychologist, speech therapist, etc.).
• If there are doubts, if you should consult a pediatric psychiatrist or not..

If the parents have a doubt, if this is an illness, deviation, or a norm variant, but the situation goes out of control and there are no more patience or strength to get on with a child – in this case, certainly, you should look for professional help. The health and wellness of the child is the main priority.

The main goal of a pediatric psychiatrist is creating a united team: the doctor and the child’s family, moving together to the common goal of recovery.

Looking for a good pediatric psychiatrist in Kyiv? Welcome to KinderKlinik – our experienced psychiatrist, together with other pediatric doctors (neurologist, psychologist etc.) will help to eliminate the psychological disorders of the child.