Concise Guide to the Psychiatric Interview of Children and Adolescents

Not long ago, child psychiatrists rarely conducted Mental Status Examinations on their patients for fear of nosological labeling. Due to an increasing recognition that childhood psychiatric syndromes often continue into adulthood, direct and systematic interviewing of pre-adolescents has become more prevalent. Cost-effective pressures have made it imperative that sound diagnostic processes are performed and relevant treatment plans are implemented.
The Concise Guide to the Psychiatric Interview of Children and Adolescents provides residents and veteran practitioners with the skills to conduct effective interviews for the Mental Status Examination of children and adolescents. It covers

• General aspects of interviewing, phases of the diagnostic interview, and strategies and considerations regarding different situations in the interviewing process
• How to use non-verbal techniques during the interview process and how to evaluate internal, external, and other symptoms
• The documentation required for the Mental Status Examination and considerations regarding the neuropsychiatric examination
• The theory and pragmatics of the formulation process and a model for a comprehensive psychiatric diagnostic formulation
• The issues related to symptom formation and symptom maintenance
• How to deal with issues related to countertransference responses that surface during the diagnostic interview

With a wealth of tables, case examples, glossary, and bibliography, this concise guide quickly demonstrates the techniques described in this book. It's the perfect clinical reference for residents and practitioners working with children and adolescents.