ABSTRACT
In child and adolescent diagnostic psychiatry a large amount of information on the referred child is gathered in interviews with the parents. This information is not only factual; a judgment is also obtained from the parents about aspects such as the developmental progress, current functioning, and current problems of the child. Practically all parents have an opinion on these matters, which has been formed in part from discussions with each other and other individuals. For the diagnostic process, it is important to know what sort of picture parents have of their child. Information about this can be obtained by asking parents to complete a standardized questionnaire, as well as by means offree personality descriptions.
