If your teen is having trouble concentrating, a therapist may want to rule outADHDor PTSD.
Getting the right diagnosis is extremely important to be able to successfully treat your teen’s symptoms.
A clinician determines the best diagnosis by methodically discarding the ones that do not fit.
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But a little defiance may not necessarily signal a mental health issue.
Oppositional behaviormay also stem from past trauma or learned behavior from an unhealthy group of friends.
Steps Mental Health Professionals Use to Rule Out Diagnoses
Mental illnesses aren’t always cut and dried.
Professionals don’t simply use a checklist to arrive at a diagnosis.
This is important because symptoms need to be taken in context.
Start by talking to your teen’s physician.
Express any concerns you have about your teen’s mood or behavior.
Your teen’s physician may make a referral to a therapist, psychiatrist, or other mental health professional.
LeBano L.Six Steps to Better DSM-5 Differential Diagnosis.
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Post by Former NIMH Director Thomas Insel: Transforming Diagnosis.
National Institute of Mental Health.
Ghosh A, Ray A, Basu A.Oppositional defiant disorder: current insight.Psychol Res Behav Manag.
Published 2017 Nov 29. doi:10.2147/PRBM.S120582
