What the psychiatrist will need to know:
- Description of child's problems and symptoms.
- Information about health, illness and treatment (both physical and mental) including current medications.
- Parent and family health and psychiatric histories.
- Information about the child's abuse and neglect history.
- Information about the child's development.
- Information about school and friends.
- Information about family relationships in the child's birth family and current home or living arrangement.
It is important for a child's caregiver or medical consenter to find out as much of this information as possible before taking the child to the psychiatrist. The psychiatrist needs to know how the child is doing in all areas of his or her life.
