Assessment of Digital Media Use in the Adolescent Psychiatric Evaluation

Nicholas J Carson; Meredith Gansner; Jeane Khang

doi:10.1016/j.chc.2017.11.003

Assessment of Digital Media Use in the Adolescent Psychiatric Evaluation

Child Adolesc Psychiatr Clin N Am. 2018 Apr;27(2):133-143. doi: 10.1016/j.chc.2017.11.003. Epub 2018 Jan 2.

Authors

Nicholas J Carson¹, Meredith Gansner², Jeane Khang³

Affiliations

¹ Child and Adolescent Outpatient Psychiatry, Health Equity Research Lab, Department of Psychiatry, Cambridge Health Alliance, 1493 Cambridge Street, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA. Electronic address: ncarson@cha.harvard.edu.
² Department of Psychiatry, Cambridge Health Alliance, 1493 Cambridge Street, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
³ Harvard University, 1493 Cambridge Street, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.

PMID: 29502741
DOI: 10.1016/j.chc.2017.11.003

Abstract

Digital media (also called "new media") have become an important ecosystem in which adolescents develop biologically, psychologically, and socially. When assessing adolescents in the psychiatric interview, a nuanced understanding of digital media use can inform a more accurate formulation. However, there are few published resources to help the psychiatrist assess the impact of digital media during the initial adolescent interview. The authors propose an innovation on the traditional psychiatric assessment that addresses teen Internet use and digital media habits. Through this enhanced assessment, mental health clinicians can improve upon current interviewing practices of twenty-first century adolescents.

Keywords: Adolescent; Assessment; Evaluation; Internet; Mental health; Psychiatry; Social media.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Adolescent
Adolescent Behavior*
Humans
Internet*
Interview, Psychological*
Mental Disorders / diagnosis*
Social Media*