Mood Disorders Program

We start with a thorough evaluation to talk with you about your child’s symptoms, your family health history and any other psychological concerns you may have. The evaluation may take one or two sessions or more, depending on your needs. To give us more details about your child’s condition, we may ask your family to fill out questionnaires. In some cases, teachers are also asked to complete these forms. With an accurate diagnosis, we design a specific treatment plan to provide the best care for each child.

Our clinicians provide individualized treatment programs with the goal of reducing your child’s mood symptoms and improve their functioning as quickly and successfully as possible. Parents are strongly encouraged to participate in their child’s treatment to help reinforce treatment progress. We rely upon the most effective psychotherapy techniques available to achieve your treatment goals.

We offer groups for children of various ages throughout the year. Group therapy allows children and adolescents the opportunity to learn from, build skills and practice with their same age peers. Parent groups are also offered to assist parents in better understanding your child’s condition and learn ways to best support your child.

Many children and adolescents with mood disorders benefit from medication, in addition to psychotherapy, to help manage their symptoms. The Mood Disorders Program team includes a child psychiatrist who specializes in treating children and adolescents with a range of presenting problems. 

When a child or teen’s negative feelings do not go away, our highly trained pediatric specialists have the expertise and experience to recognize mood disorders and provide the care they need. At Children’s National, our experts include psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, advanced trainees, among others.

We strive to empower children, teens and families diagnosed with depression to learn about the disorder that is impacting their lives. Families are provided psychoeducation about diagnoses and are provided referrals for additional support, as needed.

Learning more about the factors that can lead to depression and other mood disorders in children and teen can improve their treatments and outcomes. Our team is committed to discovering new ways to identify, prevent and treat these disorders. Some of our families participate in clinical trials. You can find out more by speaking with your child’s care team member.