Historically there has been little to no research in the mental health field on very young children. Parents and professionals alike find themselves wondering what is the best path to take in safely healing our littlest population?

Fortunately long awaited evidence-based treatment guidelines are now available for your pre-schooler. A group of experts in early childhood psychiatry, psychology, and neurology have joined forces to publish clinical guidelines to treat psychological and behavioral problems in very young children. The guidelines include algorithms for managing conditions such as ADHD, depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, and sleep disorders.

The experts highlighted the need to perform a thorough assessment of very young patients - and their home environment - before making diagnostic and treatment recommendations. First line treatment in very young children should be “evidence-supported psychosocial treatments” advised the group, even when medication is prescribed. For ADHD, family caregivers should be involved in every aspect of the therapy process including behavioral techniques and parent training. The guidelines strongly encourage physicians to try discontinuing medications over time and focus on family interventions.

You can review a copy of the published guidelines in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Dec 2007 issue. Go to www.jaacap.com/pt/re/jaacap/home, click on “Archive”, Dec 2007.

Consider bringing this information to your provider to encourage an integrated, best-practices approach in treatment. The collaboration of care will be helpful to everyone, most importantly to your child.