Diagnosis and Treatment of Behavioral Health Disorders in Pediatric Practice

Abstract

Pediatricians in this sample frequently diagnosed and treated ADHD. For all other behavioral health disorders, pediatricians reported variability in both comfort and practice. They frequently provided both pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic treatments for children and adolescents with mild to moderate behavioral health disorders but not for severe disorders. Although they identified needs for additional education for anxiety and depression, the majority did not identify educational needs for several high-prevalence behavioral health disorders, including conduct disorder and substance abuse.