ABSTRACT
The classification of children and adolescents’ psychological problems, their prevalence, and the effectiveness of psychological treatment in ameliorating these problems are considered in this chapter. There will be a particular focus on Chapter 5 of the World Health Organization’s ICD-10 (World Health Organization, 1992, 1996) a clinical version of which is widely used in day-to-day practice in Europe, and the American Psychiatric Association’s DSM IV (American Psychiatric Association, 1994), which is widely used clinically in North America. The reliability and validity of these classification systems will be considered and their shortcomings outlined. The results of some epidemiological studies of childhood psychological disorders will then be reviewed. Finally, research on the effectiveness of the psychological treatment of children and adolescents’ problems will be summarised.
