Questions to ask your child’s Psychiatrist

This article offers a comprehensive guide to help parents understand how they can prepare for a doctor’s visit. It also provides an overview of what questions to ask your child’s psychiatrist.

 Preparation for Doctor visits:

 Scheduling a visit to the psychiatrist can often seem daunting for parents. They might have been referred by their child’s pediatrician, if delays in the child’s developmental milestones were observed. Some points that can help plan the visit are:

1.   Try to schedule a time that is suitable for the child, as this helps in the child being comfortable for the visit.
2.   Make a note of things you would like to ask the psychiatrist. Taking videos of any specific situations that you would like to discuss
3.   Explain clearly any concerns you might have pertaining to the child’s developmental milestones. For example delay in motor skills, talking or sensory sensitivities that are out of the ordinary should be brought to the doctor’s attention
4.   If this is not the first visit to the psychiatrist, ensure that you carry any previous reports relevant to the child.
5.   Reports from the child’s school and or therapists should also be provided to the psychiatrist. This will help in assessing the child’s development through therapies. Any concerns or goals that were not achieved can also be discussed and assessed.

Preparing the child: 

Preparing the child for doctor visits is also extremely important. Change in the regular routine, fear of hospitals, sitting at one place for long times can be some reasons for the child’s reluctance to go to the doctor.

These concerns can be worked upon by:

1.   Preparing the child beforehand. Explain to them what can be expected, how long they need to be there and what can the child do if they find it overwhelming.
2.   Pictures, videos or social stories can be used to help the child understand what to anticipate.
3.   Carry snacks, books, toys or any items that might come handy to keep the child occupied.
4.   Offer encouragement, positive reinforcement or any reward after the visit. This can be something of the child’s choice or even a preferred activity like a visit to the park or playground. This will help motivate the child for future visits.

Guided questions: 

During visits to the psychiatrist, especially during the initial ones, parents might feel overwhelmed or simply confused regarding their discussions with the psychiatrist. To help with this, here are a few simple questions that the parents can present to the psychiatrist.

•  Assessment and Diagnosis

1.   Present all observations and clinically relevant information to the physician regarding the child. Ask and understand the next steps in terms of assessment or diagnosis of a particular condition of a child.
2.   Ask for a list of tests that are required to be conducted to rule out any overlapping conditions.
3.   Once the diagnosis is received, ask about intervention options for the condition. For example: will the psychiatrist recommend therapies or medication or both? This will help prepare parents to adopt a path suitable for their child. 

• Therapeutic Support

1. What are the different therapeutic strategies that they recommend for the child?
2. How can the effectiveness of the therapy be assessed?
3. What role can the parents play in these therapies?

• Medication

1. If a child is prescribed any medication, it is extremely essential to have an in-depth understanding of the medicines that are being advised for the child’s condition.
2. A pictorial representation is provided in this article to help parents with the probable questions they should ask the psychiatrist as they start medication for their child.

• Addressing concerns 

After the child’s diagnosis, it is natural for the parents to have questions pertaining to the concerns in the child’s development. They can start by asking the following:

1.   What are some methods that can be followed at home to support the ongoing therapies of the child?
2.   What are the possible long term outcomes of the child’s diagnosis?

By asking the psychiatrist, parents can devise an effective plan to work on the different areas of their child’s growth and development. 

Medication clarity: 

Before starting any medication for their child, parents should have a detailed discussion with the physician about any concerns they might have. Like information on dosages, missed doses, effectiveness, and dependency risks. The psychiatrist should be able to address questions on how long a child might need to continue prescribed medication, as well. This is extremely important for the health of the child.

The toolkit above, shares a list of frequently asked questions that parents can use and can ask their child’s psychiatrist.

Some of them are:

• What happens if my child misses the dosage?
• How can we determine if that medication has worked?
• What happens if the first medication does not work?
• Is there a chance that my child will grow dependent on the medication?
• How long must the child continue the prescribed medication?

You can find more such important questions in the toolkit. These can be kept handy for visits to your doctor. Additionally, also read this article by Dr Ajay Sharma on understanding that how ADHD and ASD can exist together. You can also checkout these factsheets on ADHD and Autism. 

Acknowledgement: We would like to thank Dr. Sana Smriti for helping us in creating the content for the toolkit on questions to ask your child’s Psychiatrist.

If you have questions about Autism, Down Syndrome, ADHD, or other Intellectual Disabilities, or have concerns about developmental delays in a child, the Nayi Disha team is here to help. For any questions or queries, please contact our FREE Helpline at 844-844-8996. You can call or what’s app us. Our counselors speak different languages including English, Hindi, Malayalam, Gujarati, Marathi, Telugu, and Bengali.

DISCLAIMER: Please note that this guide is for information purposes only.