Child and Adolescent Psychiatry

Children do not come with instructions, and when something is wrong, they rarely have the language to tell you what it is. A child who is struggling may not say they are anxious or sad. They may refuse to go to school, start fights with siblings, complain of stomachaches every morning, or simply shut down. Parents notice the change but are often unsure whether what they are seeing is a phase, a personality trait, or something that needs professional attention.

One of the hardest parts of seeking help for a child is getting past your own hesitation. Many parents carry stigma or anxiety about psychiatric care, sometimes rooted in their own experiences, because conditions like ADHD, anxiety, and depression run in families. A parent who struggled with something similar may feel guilt, uncertainty, or resistance they did not expect. Add to that the well-meaning people around you, family, friends, other parents, whose own discomfort with mental health can sound a lot like blame. Putting that noise aside and acting on what you are seeing in your child is one of the most important things a parent can do.

Adults make up half of Dr. T's patients, even though his fellowship training is in child and adolescent psychiatry. Children's psychiatric needs are different from adults' in ways that matter for diagnosis and treatment. The same condition can look entirely different in a seven-year-old than it does in a thirty-year-old. The vast majority of children dealing with one psychiatric condition are also dealing with at least one more that has not been identified yet. Medications that work well in adults sometimes require different dosing, different monitoring, or a different approach in younger patients. Dr. Teitelbaum is board certified in child and adolescent psychiatry and has been evaluating and treating young patients since completing his fellowship at the University of South Florida in 1995. That depth of experience matters when a family needs answers, not guesses.

Children are often the most honest people in the room, but they rarely have the language or the self-awareness to ask for the help they need. That is where a careful evaluation and a clinician who knows what to look for make the difference.

Signs That a Child or Adolescent May Need a Psychiatric Evaluation

There is no single checklist that covers every child, but certain patterns are worth paying attention to. A drop in academic performance without a clear explanation, social withdrawal from friends or activities, and persistent irritability that goes beyond normal frustration are common signals. Sleep changes that do not resolve on their own can also point to something happening beneath the surface.

In younger children, you may see new fears or clinginess, regression in skills they had already mastered, frequent tantrums that feel disproportionate to the trigger, or physical complaints that have no medical cause. In adolescents, the signs may include risk-taking behavior, substance experimentation, self-harm, dramatic mood swings, or a withdrawal from family that feels different from typical teenage independence.

Many of these signs overlap across conditions. A child who cannot focus in class may have ADHD, anxiety, depression, or something else entirely. A teenager whose mood swings are escalating may be dealing with a mood disorder, the effects of trauma, or a combination of factors. Sorting out what is actually happening is the purpose of a thorough psychiatric evaluation.

How We Approach Treatment for Children and Adolescents

We start by listening to the family: what they are seeing at home, at school, and in the child's relationships. We talk with parents, we talk with the child or adolescent directly, and we build a picture that accounts for development, temperament, history, and whatever else is contributing to the difficulty. A diagnosis is only useful if it leads to a plan that actually helps.

When medication is part of that plan, we start conservatively and monitor closely. Children's responses to psychiatric medication are not always predictable, and adjustments are a normal part of the process. We explain what a medication does, what to watch for, and what the timeline looks like so that families are never guessing about what is happening with their child's treatment.

Many children we see have more than one condition in play. ADHD with anxiety, depression with OCD, autistic spectrum disorder with tic disorders: these overlaps are common and require a clinician who evaluates the full clinical picture rather than treating the first diagnosis in isolation. We coordinate with therapists, schools, and pediatricians when doing so helps the child.

What to Expect

Your first appointment is an in-office psychiatric evaluation. Dr. Teitelbaum will review your history, ask about your symptoms, and take the time to understand what is going on before recommending a treatment plan. For children and adolescents, a parent or guardian is part of that conversation.

Follow-up visits are scheduled based on your individual needs. When starting or adjusting medication, more frequent check-ins help us monitor your response. Once treatment is stable, visits are typically less frequent.

After your first in-office visit, telehealth appointments are available for patients located in Florida. An in-office visit is required at least every six months.

When to Seek Help

If your child's behavior, mood, or functioning has changed in ways that concern you and the change has persisted for several weeks, an evaluation can help identify what is driving the symptoms. You do not need a referral. You do not need to be certain something is wrong.

If your child is in immediate danger or expressing thoughts of self-harm, call 911 or the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline (call or text 988). For non-emergency questions about scheduling or whether our practice is a good fit, call us at (561) 630-8530.