Pediatric and Adolescent Psychiatry

It is crucially critical for an individual to live a healthy life when they reach adulthood, to be a self-confident person, and to be able to treat permanent psychiatric diseases that are complex and difficult to treat at an early stage. Compared to the past, the scale, social activity and needs of the field of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry are rapidly expanding both in our country and around the world.

Since this branch is quite extensive, it is in direct interaction with all biological, sociological and psychological branches of science. 

Mental health in childhood and adolescence

The physical and mental development of children and adolescents is constantly evolving and requires psychological examination, observation and treatment that go beyond the definitions of mental health for adults and include original concepts. For this reason, outside the psychiatric departments that investigate the mental health and illness of adults, the field of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry has been developed, which focuses only on psychiatric problems in children and adolescents. Progressing as they grow older, each stage lived by a person, from childhood to adolescence, is characterized by its own period of spiritual development. For this reason, in the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, various psychological states corresponding to different periods of development are studied in detail, the family structure and environmental factors are investigated, the stage of psychological development of a child or adolescent is determined, possible problems and diseases are determined using the necessary diagnostic processes and methods which are successfully applied during observation and treatment. 

In the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, individual psychotherapy services (psychoanalytic, supportive, cognitive behavioral therapy, EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization)), autogenic relaxation therapy, family therapy services, drug therapy and psychometric assessment are offered to children aged 0 to 18 years.  In addition to the support of doctors specializing in child and adolescent psychiatry, where necessary, patients receive support from qualified psychologists who, if necessary, conduct various diagnostic tests and apply other treatment processes.  Psychologists conduct a series of developmental, attention, and intelligence tests to help diagnose mental health conditions that are common in childhood and adolescence.  The most commonly used and preferred among these tests are: 

Development Tests

•    Ankara Development Inventory Test
•    Denver 2 Development Test
•    Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test
•    Bender-Gestalt Visual Motor Perception Test
•    Metropolitan School Maturity Tests
•    Koppitz Human Drawing Test
•    Porteus Mazes Test
•    School Readiness Test
•    The Kent EGY Test
•    Gesell Developmental Figures Test

Cognitive development of speech, psychosocial development, development of social skills and self-help, development of fine and gross motor skills, age of visual perception and age of receptive speech of a child are measured using the tests mentioned above, choosing the appropriate ones according to the results obtained by the psychiatrist and psychologist during the examination.  If a suspected mental illness is identified during the examination as a result of the examination, specialists in child and adolescent psychiatry will initiate the appropriate treatment process. 

Attention Tests

•    Moxo d-CPT Attention Performance Test
Intelligence Tests
•    R.b Cattel Test 2A and 3A

The psychological tests listed above are performed with great care and compared with clinical data by highly qualified specialists in our Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.  As a result, possible psychological problems are identified, an appropriate plan is determined and a treatment process begins, aimed at preventing the development of a psychological problem.  If you notice any emotional or behavioral symptoms in your child between the ages of 0-18 that can negatively affect daily life, mental and physical development, school performance and relationships with others, you may want to see a child psychiatrist.