Interviewing Children and Adolescents, First Edition: Skills and Strategies for Effective DSM-IV Diagnosis

This highly practical volume provides a complete guide to conducting an age-appropriate child or adolescent interview and formulating a clinically useful DSM-IV diagnosis. Illuminating both the art and the science of child diagnosis, the book blends astute advice on the interview process with crucial information on a wide range of mental and behavioral disorders. Readers learn effective approaches to communicating with children and adolescents on a level they can understand; eliciting information from patients whose verbal and cognitive abilities may be limited; and recognizing how disorders may present in children of different ages.

"This well-written text should be on the shelf of every student who is learning to practice child, adolescent, and family mental health. It is clear, concise, and well-written, and can be used with students and clinicians in nursing, psychology, and social work, as well as psychiatry....A wonderful guide."--Shirley M. H. Hanson, RN, PhD, LMFT, School of Nursing, Oregon Health Sciences University "This book serves as an excellent resource within the assessment and consultation training sequence of our program. Graduate students in school, clinical, and counseling psychology are likely to benefit from the practical and clinical relevance of this text."--John S. Carlson, PhD, School Psychology Program, Michigan State University "Writing in a field that might be thought to be overworked, the authors offer something different. While the book is user friendly, it offers much of value to both novice and experienced clinician....This manual is a well-written refresher and update for seasoned clinicians and an excellent guide for all mental health professionals....the authors have clearly met their goal of providing a highly useful and timely addition to the professional literature on assessment and diagnosis. Worthy of particular mention is the reworking of DSM-IV diagnostic nomenclature into a child and adolescent format, organizing and simplifying what at times has been an unwieldy document for attempting to formulate child and adolescent diagnoses."--Psychiatric Services "This excellent text offers logical, precise technical support for diagnosing mental health problems in children and adolescents, while at the same time capturing the spontaneity and freshness of real-life young people. Each chapter is anchored by a vivid portrait of a troubled child or teenager struggling with the problems characteristic of the DSM-IV diagnosis being discussed. The reader is provided with a concise yet thorough account of diagnostic criteria, exclusion criteria, and differential diagnosis considerations. Well-organized tables facilitate the task of differential diagnosis by summarizing complex information at a glance."--Carl Feinstein, MD, Director of Clinical Studies, Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine "This volume bridges here-and-now clinical observation and current theoretical models. Specific questions are offered to help students and clinicians know what to look for in describing children and adolescents. The book describes interviews for different developmental levels, using narrative dialogue to illustrate how a question (e.g., 'does she speak words yet?') is linked to developmental expectations (e.g., for having and using language). Specific mental disorders are discussed, with interview examples for each. Throughout, tables and sidebars help organize complicated information and focus the reader's attention. This will be a welcome addition to the library of clinicians beginning to work with children."--Penelope Knapp, MD, Medical Director, California State Department of Mental Health "This is a rare example of a masterful text that is also a good read. It contains a wealth of information and clinical pearls, all presented in a practical and clinically relevant form. This volume's sensible descriptions of developmentally appropriate interviewing techniques and the diagnostic process will be of interest to trainees in all the mental health disciplines."--Gregory K. Fritz, MD, Department of Psychiatry, Rhode Island Hospital ., ."the text is well written, rich in practical examples and pearls, handily referenced by either developmental stage or diagnostic domain....This is an excellent resource for the novice clinician, and serves as an excellent review for those with more experience. It will be of particular use for trainees in children's mental health, and for those who teach interviewing skills to undergraduate and postgraduate learners."--"Canadian Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Review" "Writing in a field that might be thought to be overworked, the authors offer something different. While the book is user friendly, it offers much of value to both novice and experienced clinician....This manual is a well-written refresher and update for seasoned clinicians and an excellent guide for all mental health professionals....the authors have clearly met their goal of providing a highly useful and timely addition to the professional literature on assessment and diagnosis. Worthy of particular mention is the reworking of DSM-IV diagnostic nomenclature into a child and adolescent format, organizing and simplifying what at times has been an unwieldy document for attempting to formulate child and adolescent diagnoses."--"Psychiatric Services"