Overview

Identifying and diagnosing mental health conditions in children and adolescents is one of the toughest jobs in health care. Sometimes emotional and behavioral symptoms overlap with other conditions. Changed or disruptive behavior could signal a disorder — or a typical developmental stage. Younger children may not have the words to express their thoughts or feelings. Teens may not want to communicate at all. All too often, schools, courts, community health care providers, and other agencies may not have the resources to provide a comprehensive evaluation.

The Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Division of the Department of Psychiatry at Stony Brook University has built an international reputation based on meeting these needs for children and teens. We provide expert assessment of childhood and adolescent mental illness — in many cases, second opinions — to patients from as far away as California and South America.

Stony Brook also provides the full spectrum of psychiatric and behavioral services — inpatient treatment, outpatient care, medical and behavioral management, and school programs — to address the wide range of mental health conditions occurring in children today.