Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
Mental health conditions often emerge or intensify during childhood and adolescence, influencing every aspect of development, learning, relationships, and physical health. This session on Child and Adolescent Psychiatry provides a comprehensive overview of assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of common and complex psychiatric presentations in young people. Participants will explore mood and anxiety disorders, neurodevelopmental conditions, psychosis, self-harm, trauma-related disorders, and emerging personality patterns, with a strong emphasis on safety, collaboration, and hope.
Clinicians and trainees increasingly seek Pediatrics Conference that emphasise practical skills and interdisciplinary teamwork. In this session, attendees will examine structured approaches to psychiatric assessment, including developmental history, family context, risk assessment, and use of standardised tools. The content highlights how to communicate findings sensitively, discuss diagnoses without labels becoming identities, and negotiate treatment plans that integrate psychological therapies, school supports, and when indicated, psychopharmacology. Special attention is given to suicidality, self-harm, and acute behavioural disturbance, including when and how to involve crisis services.
A recurring theme is close collaboration between psychiatry and pediatric mental health teams embedded in primary care, hospital, and community settings. Case examples will illustrate shared-care models for chronic conditions where physical and mental health are tightly interwoven, such as epilepsy, diabetes, chronic pain, and functional symptoms. The session will explore culturally responsive care, working with interpreters, and addressing stigma in families who may be hesitant about psychiatric referral. Strategies to involve schools, youth services, and community organisations in holistic care plans are also discussed in depth.
The session additionally touches on systems and policy issues, including workforce challenges, access gaps, and the potential role of digital mental health tools. Participants will consider how to prioritise limited specialist capacity, build stepped-care pathways, and advocate for early intervention services that reduce long-term disability. By the end, attendees will be equipped with frameworks, language, and partnership models that make psychiatric care for children and adolescents more timely, person-centred, and integrated with broader pediatric services.
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Comprehensive psychiatric assessment
- Gathering developmental, family, school, medical, and social histories to understand the full context of presenting symptoms.
- Using structured interviews and validated scales while keeping space for the young person’s own narrative.
Formulation and diagnosis
- Constructing biopsychosocial formulations that explain how multiple factors interact, rather than relying on single-cause explanations.
- Discussing diagnoses in ways that guide intervention and reduce shame, emphasising strengths and changeability.
Therapeutic interventions and care planning
- Integrating psychological therapies, family-based approaches, school accommodations, and medication where appropriate.
- Collaborating with young people and caregivers to set goals that feel meaningful and achievable in daily life.
Risk assessment and crisis response
- Identifying warning signs of self-harm, suicidality, aggression, or severe deterioration that demand urgent action.
- Developing clear crisis plans, safety strategies, and referral routes to emergency and intensive services.
Practice Insights and Service Development
Building strong pediatric–psychiatry partnerships
Creating regular communication channels and shared clinics that bridge mental and physical healthcare for young people.
Working effectively with schools and community services
Engaging educators, counsellors, and youth workers to support classroom functioning, peer relationships, and inclusion.
Embedding cultural humility and anti-stigma work
Reflecting on personal biases, understanding cultural idioms of distress, and addressing fears about psychiatric labels and treatment.
Using digital mental health tools thoughtfully
Selecting online programs, apps, and telepsychiatry options that complement, rather than replace, therapeutic relationships.
Prioritising early intervention and continuity
Focussing resources on early signs of disorder and ensuring smooth transitions between child, adolescent, and adult services.
Supporting families and caregivers
Providing psychoeducation, support groups, and practical problem-solving to reduce caregiver burden and isolation.
Looking after clinician wellbeing
Recognising emotional impact of working with high-risk cases and building supervision, debriefing, and team support structures.
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