Building a Mental Health Care Team for Your Family

When a child struggles with focus, mood or behavior, parents often find themselves coordinating four or five people who have never spoken to one another. A little structure from the start saves months of confusion.

Start With the Pediatrician

The pediatrician knows your child's medical history and can rule out physical causes such as thyroid problems, hearing loss or sleep disorders. They can also refer you to specialists. Many pediatricians diagnose and treat ADHD themselves, and some prefer to refer complex cases.

Bring in the School

Teachers see your child for six hours a day with a group of peers, and their observations are hard to get elsewhere. Ask for a meeting with the teacher and the school counselor. If your child has a diagnosis, you can request a 504 plan or an evaluation for an IEP. These set out accommodations such as extra time, preferred seating or breaks.

Decide Between a Psychiatrist and a Therapist

Parents are often unsure which professional to contact first. A therapist works with your child, and often with you, on skills like emotional regulation, behavior plans and coping with anxiety. A psychiatrist evaluates for conditions and prescribes medication when it is indicated. The breakdown of psychiatrist vs therapist roles lays out what each does so you can decide who to call.

Plan for the Evaluation

If attention problems are the concern, a formal assessment is the next step. It involves parent interviews, teacher rating scales and time with your child. Gather report cards, teacher notes and a short timeline of when problems began. A description of an ADHD evaluation for kids shows how the process runs.

Look at What Else Is Happening

Behavior changes in children have many causes. Bullying, a move, parents separating or the death of a relative can all change how a child acts. Grieving children sometimes seem inattentive or irritable and show little visible sadness. The comparison of grief vs depression is written for adults, but many of the same distinctions help parents ask better questions.

Keep Everyone Informed

Sign releases so the pediatrician, therapist and psychiatrist can talk to each other. Keep one folder, paper or digital, with evaluations, school plans and medication lists. At every visit, tell the clinician what changed since the last one. Medication, sleep and school stress interact, and a change in one often affects the others.

Think About the Parents' Needs

ADHD runs in families, and many parents recognize themselves during their child's evaluation. If that happens to you, it is reasonable to seek your own assessment. Adults who cannot take stimulants have options, including the non stimulant ADHD medications for adults that a prescriber can walk you through.

Sort Out Payment Early

Mental health care adds up fast. Call your plan before the first appointment and ask about copays, referrals and limits on visits. This guide to whether insurance cover telepsychiatry visits applies to your plan lists the questions to put to the insurer.

Telehealth can ease the logistics, since a parent does not need to leave work early for every appointment. Rural families and those far from a child psychiatrist benefit the most.

If your child talks about wanting to die or hurt themselves, call or text 988 in the United States or go to the nearest emergency room.

About the author: Open Minds Psychiatry is a Sacramento-based practice that provides telepsychiatry to children, adolescents and adults in several states.