Exploring the Mental Life and Home Life of Children: The Role of a Television History.

Background:   Media entertainment is a pervasive presence in the lives of our children. It presents a series of stories that a child can select as important or intriguing to him or her.

Methods:   A good history of television and media viewing uses this omnipresent influence in a child's life to attempt to gain insight into the child's hopes and fears as well as information concerning the structure of the home.

Conclusions:   It is a useful exercise that could be done with each new child patient, and could provide a quick means to assess the child's thoughts as well as assessing the child's home environment.