1. Introduction to Child Psychiatry
After studying Module 1: Lecture Materials & Resources, address the following in a
well-written discussion post:
• Should we be “diagnosing” children with psychological disorders? Use current
US scholarly journals to support your opinion.
Yes — diagnosing children can be clinically and ethically appropriate and often necessary to get them evidence-based help, but it must be done cautiously, developmentally, and collaboratively because both under- and over-diagnosis carry real harms. Below is a concise, evidence-based discussion supported by recent U.S. scholarly sources.
Children’s mental health needs are real and rising. Large U.S. surveillance and review data show increases in diagnosed anxiety, depression, and behavioral disorders over the last decade and especially during/after the COVID-19 period, and many children with diagnosable disorders do not receive needed services. This rising burden makes accurate identification important to connect children to care and supports. CDC+1
Why diagnosis can help (benefits)
• Access to services and supports: A formal diagnosis often opens pathways to school supports (IEPs/504 plans), insurance coverage for therapy or medication, and targeted early interventions that improve long-term functioning. Clinical practice and policy statements from pediatric and child psychiatry organizations emphasize screening and diagnosis as tools to mobilize care in the face of a growing youth mental-health crisis. AACAP+1
• Guiding evidence-based treatment: Diagnoses (when accurate) guide evidence-based psychotherapy, medication decisions, and monitoring — for example, differentiating major depressive disorder from adjustment reactions changes treatment priorities. NCBI
Why diagnosis can harm (risks)
• Overdiagnosis and medicalization: Systematic reviews find convincing evidence that some conditions — notably milder presentations of ADHD — are at risk of overdiagnosis, which can expose children to unnecessary labeling, stigma, and interventions whose harms may outweigh benefits for borderline cases. This argues for careful differential assessment of severity and functional impairment before assigning a label. JAMA Network+1
• Developmental and contextual complexity: Children change rapidly; behaviors that are developmentally appropriate or context-bound (e.g., stress reactions to family adversity, sleep-related problems) can be mistaken for disorders. Differential diagnosis (including for neurodevelopmental conditions like ASD vs. behavior disorders) requires multidisciplinary assessment and attention to developmental history. PMC+1
A balanced, evidence-based stance (practical takeaways)
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Diagnose when criteria are met and there is clear functional impairment or a treatment/education plan that would follow — not merely to name transient or mild behaviors. Use validated tools and collect information from multiple informants (parents, teachers, clinicians). JAMA Network+1
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Apply a developmental lens: interpret symptoms by age, family/cultural context, and the child’s environment; revisit diagnoses over time because presentations can change. PMC
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Use multidisciplinary teams where possible (pediatricians, mental-health clinicians, school personnel) and prioritize psychosocial/behavioral interventions first for many problems, reserving medication when evidence supports it and monitoring closely. AACAP+1
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Guard against inequities: clinicians should be aware of racial/ethnic and socioeconomic biases in who gets diagnosed and who receives treatment, and strive for equitable, culturally informed assessment. PMC
Conclusion
Diagnosing children is not intrinsically wrong — it is a clinical tool that can unlock needed supports and evidence-based treatments. But because of developmental complexity, risk of overdiagnosis (especially in mild cases), and social consequences of labeling, clinicians must diagnose conservatively, document clear impairment, use multidisciplinary assessments and validated measures, and center family-shared decision making. Doing so balances the ethical imperative to relieve suffering with the obligation to avoid harm.
Selected references (examples of U.S. scholarly sources used above)
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Kazda, L., et al. (2021). Overdiagnosis of ADHD in Children and Adolescents. JAMA Network Open. JAMA Network
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Leeb, R. T., et al. (2024). Trends in Mental, Behavioral, and Developmental Disorders among Children — CDC surveillance report. CDC/Pediatrics. CDC
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U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services / NCBI. Child and Adolescent Mental Health (overview). NCBI
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American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP). Clinical resources and policy statements on screening/diagnosis. AACAP
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Olson, L., et al. (2024). Differential diagnosis of autism and related developmental conditions. [Journal/NCBI review]. PMC
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