I have written a paper, intended for the mental health field at large, entitled Observations on the Unique Developmental and Treatment Complexities of Adopted Patients. The abstract is as follows:

Contrary to assumptions, adoption overall is about far more than children and their families. Rather, adoption is, first and foremost, about the relinquished child who grows up. I.e., it is about the adopted person throughout the life-cycle, requiring profound yet normative developmental adjustments. Many with early trauma and other adverse circumstances have developed severe emotional disorders needing specialized programs informed by the Psychology of Adoption. Presently, little treatment of adopted patients in any setting reflects what is now known about the clinical complexities or the necessary diagnostic and treatment modifications. But the needs are only anecdotally based, and the complexities in the treatment have yet to be addressed in a formal study. It is suggested that hospitals and residential treatment centers begin by establishing a database, to be used in the development and application of best practices in the treatment of adopted patients.

Click here to download the paper.