Many factors affect treatment options for children and adolescents with mental health problems, including age, severity of symptoms, financial and time constraints, and access to qualified professionals. With the limitations of managed care plans and the shrinking pool of pediatric psychiatrists, the trend is toward pediatricians prescribing psychotropic medicines. Pharmacologically trained psychologists can offer valuable assistance to pediatricians caught in this predicament.

Tackling fundamental questions of when to treat as well as when and why to refer young patients, the...