Each assessment varies according to the professional's style and preference. Sometimes, it consists of an interview with the child, an interview with the parent(s), and sometimes a family interview as well. A comprehensive assessment will last on average for two to three hours and may take place over one or more office visits. Sometimes information is collected with parent(s) and teen together. Depending on the age and level of maturity of your teen, more may be collected from you than from the adolescent himself. However, professionals often will interview teens on their own.
An individual interview with the child provides the opportunity for him to freely share thoughts and feelings about his life, his relationships at home and at school, and any other issues in a confidential manner. We encourage individual time with teens, as it helps them express concerns that they may feel uncomfortable sharing with their parent(s) present. In addition, it gives the teen a message that his individual perspective is valued and respected. It may promote a positive therapeutic alliance between the teen and the professional. When the presenting concern is related to depression, it is also likely that the professional will ask questions about suicidal thoughts and suicidal behavior. Asking about suicide does not "put ideas into child's head," but rather provides assurance to him that people care for him. It gives the child the opportunity to talk about it, if in fact he has contemplated it.
In general, during the interview with the parent and teen, or with each alone, the professional will get a detailed picture about:
• the current concerns and stresses at home, at school, and in the community,
• the history of the problem,
• the child's development, health, illness and treatments, and medication,
• family relationships,
• school and friends,
• parent and family medical/psychiatric history.
If needed, laboratory studies such as blood tests, x-rays, or special assessments (for example, psychological, educational, speech and language evaluation) will be obtained during the assessment.
You and your teen may also be asked to complete questionnaires that further contribute to the assessment. We use a set of questionnaires that have proven to be accurate in determining the intensity and severity of the depression. Some examples include: the Children's Depression Inventory (CDI) (Kovacs, 1983) and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) (Beck, 1961), which has been revised and updated over the years. Questionnaires designed to determine whether another condition such as AD/HD or anxiety is present may also be used.
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In addition, it is not uncommon for the professional to ask parents (and the teen) for permission to obtain information from significant others (school teachers, "counselors, specialists, other relatives). Any consent requesting information is signed by the parent and also the teen, if he is of legal age to give his own informed medical consent. (In most states, this age is eighteen, but it is younger in a few states and older in a few states; in Canada it is sixteen.) Even if your teen is not of legal age, it is a good idea to include him in signing consents, as it demonstrates respect for him and may help to engage him in the assessment and treatment process.Following the interviews, the professional arrives at a diagnosis and recommendations, which are shared with the teen and family. A treatment plan, which considers all information from the interviews and questionnaires, is developed and shared with you. If you are not comfortable with the recommendations, feel free to ask questions and raise your concerns. It is important to discuss any hesitations you have about the recommendations. It is more important to identify obstacles in the treatment plan at the outset than to go along with something that you don't believe will work.
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