6 Short Case Scenarios for Child Psychiatry Visits (0-12 years old)

1. Anxiety Disorder (8-year-old girl):

• Sarah experiences excessive worry and panic attacks, often related to school presentations or separation from her parents.
• Symptoms include physical complaints like stomachaches and difficulty sleeping.
• Treatment might involve cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and potentially low-dose medication to manage anxiety symptoms.

2. Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) (7-year-old boy):

• Billy struggles to focus in class, exhibits impulsive behavior, and has difficulty completing tasks.
• He often fidgets and talks excessively, disrupting classroom activities.
• Treatment might involve a combination of behavioral therapy and stimulant medication to improve focus and manage hyperactivity.

3. Mood Disorder (Depression) (11-year-old girl):

• Emily exhibits persistent sadness, loss of interest in activities she used to enjoy, and changes in sleep and appetite.
• She feels worthless and hopeless, and may express thoughts of suicide.
• Treatment might involve individual therapy, family therapy, and potentially antidepressant medication in severe cases.

4. Sleep Disorder (Nightmares) (5-year-old boy):

• David experiences frequent nightmares that wake him up scared and crying.
• He has difficulty falling back asleep after these episodes, leading to daytime fatigue and irritability.
• Treatment might involve relaxation techniques, sleep hygiene education, and in some cases, low-dose medication to improve sleep quality.

5. Eating Disorder (Selective Eating) (4-year-old girl):

• Lily refuses to eat many types of food, leading to nutritional deficiencies and concerns about her growth.
• Her parents struggle to introduce new foods due to her tantrums and picky eating habits.
• Treatment might involve feeding therapy to help Lily develop healthy eating patterns and overcome her food aversions. Medication is rarely used in such young children.

6. Trauma and Stress-Related Disorder (Post-traumatic Stress Disorder) (9-year-old boy):

• Michael witnessed a car accident and replays the event in his mind through flashbacks and nightmares.
• He avoids situations that remind him of the trauma and experiences anxiety and emotional outbursts.
• Treatment might involve play therapy, trauma-focused cognitive-behavioral therapy (TF-CBT), and potentially medication to manage anxiety symptoms.

Note: These are brief scenarios. Medication is not always the first-line treatment for children, and a child psychiatrist would conduct a thorough evaluation before determining the best course of action.