Child Psychiatric Evaluations

SS's therapist (in 2009) recommended that SS get a Psychiatric Evaluation. Of course DH never had that done. He says SS doesn't need one. Has anyone had to put thier child/stepchild through one? If so, can you please describe in detail what actually happens? I think if DH knew exactly what would happen during the evaluation, he would be less resistant.

DH and I are being civil. He is NOW (of course) asking for my opinion on things. I think whether Im there or not, SS needs to get evaluated. Worst case scenario, they something is "wrong" and they tell DH to fix it. Best case scenario, nothings "wrong", and I was just the evil stepmother. I think DH is just scared of what might be said. I also think that if he had all of the details, he would get SS evaluated. DH is admitting that SS's behavior isn't "normal".

So if you have ever had to go through this, could you please give me some insight?

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SS was diagnosed with ADHD by

SS was diagnosed with ADHD by the therapist and his pediatrician. It wasn't a shock, DH also has ADHD. We didn't start meds until SS was 8.

Even on top of that the therapist wanted an evaluation.

DH and I were required by

DH and I were required by court to have a full physical and mental health evaluation of SS before we could convert temporary custody to permanent. The mental health evaluation consisted of an hour long interview with SS, and another hour long interview with BM. The results were that SS was a normal teenager who showed no respect for adults. BM insisted that there was something more serious going on, so courts insisted on a full phsychiatric eval. This took about 4 hours and included written tests and interviews. At the end of the evaluation, we met with the administrators and they presented the findings and proposed recommended treatment for SS.

If SS is already in therapy, DO NOT allow the therapist to contact the people performing the phsychiatric evaluation. This is supposed to be an objective and independent evaluation. In our case, the therapist was feeding on SS's lies and she contacted the administrators of the psych eval and they changed their diagnosis and treatment recommendations. If you would like any other details, feel free to PM me.