Diagnostic predictors of treatment patterns in a cohort of adolescents

Data on 776 American adolescents studied longitudinally were used to show treatment patterns related to psychiatric disorders. When DSM-III-R diagnoses based on mother and youth Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children interviews were used prospectively to determine subsequent treatment seeking, it was found that consultation with mental health specialists, but not with pediatricians or general practitioners, was elevated in those with disorders. The specific diagnoses most associated with treatment seeking were conduct disorder and oppositional/defiant disorder. No compensation for differences in mental health service usage between children with internalizing disorders and those with externalizing disorders in the form of help from informal or other professional sources was present.