The Reliability and Validity of the Psychiatric Assessment of the Child: II. Interview with the Parent

Abstract

The importance of diagnostic procedure in child psychiatry does not need emphasis. In most clinics dealing with the emotionally disturbed child a substantial proportion of children referred are not seen again after the initial appraisal (Rogers, 1939), and on the basis of information obtained at this single appearance decisions may need to be made about the nature and severity of the child's disorder and the suitability of the child for treatment. Certainly with children taken on for treatment, elements of the diagnostic process enter into the therapy situation, yet even here a programme affecting the child's life will often have been laid down after the first session.