To help verify the diagnosis, Joshi and her clinic staff do an unusually detailed family history, spending three hours with a patient and parents at one sitting. When patients' histories are tangled, they may use written instruments, such as the K-SADS checklist. As with adults, treatment may involve medication, which can have dramatic results. The fifth-grade girl, for instance, has been transformed by the lithium she began taking about three years ago. Other patients require counseling, family therapy or educational assists.
Every child has different needs.