Would you like to review the complete DSM-5 and ICD child diagnoses related to pathology in family court cases?
DSM-5 (ICD) Child Diagnoses:
• 309.4 (ICD F43.25) Adjustment Disorder – disturbance to emotions and behavior
• 300.19 (ICD F68.10) Factitious Disorder Imposed on Another (false attachment pathology; victim)
• 297.1 (ICD F22) Delusional Disorder – persecutory type (induced/shared)
• V995.51 (ICD T74.32) Child Psychological Abuse (victim)
• V61.20 (ICD Z62.82) Parent-Child Relationship Problem
• V61.29 (ICD Z62.898) Child Affected by Parental Relationship Distress
I am a doctor, and this is my diagnosis of the issues within the family courts
Don’t let anyone tell you that the pathology isn’t in the DSM-5. It absolutely is. If you’re struggling, it is a valid and diagnosable condition.
This is the child’s diagnosis. Under different symptom circumstances, I might also include a phobic anxiety disorder for the child. For the parent’s diagnosis, I would add features of a personality disorder.
This is my diagnosis of the pathology—my formal identification of the underlying issue.
The pathological narcissistic-borderline-dark personality parent experiences persecutory delusions and imposes these false beliefs onto the child.
From the APA: “Persecutory Type: delusions in which the individual (or someone close to them) believes they are being intentionally harmed or targeted in a harmful manner.”
In every court-involved custody dispute involving severe attachment issues, such as a child rejecting a parent, a thorough risk assessment for potential child abuse must be conducted. This assessment should include careful consideration of the appropriate differential diagnoses for each parent.
Craig Childress, Psy.D.
Clinical Psychologist, CA PSY 18857—
