In their reply to our editorial (Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 2023, 64, 464), Dekkers et al. (Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 2023, 64, 470) argue that treatment is the best choice for children with mental disorders because there is 'sound evidence' that interventions are effective, also in the long term. We agree that there is sound evidence for treatment effectiveness in the short‐term and there is some evidence for longer‐term effects of certain specific treatments, such as behavioral parent training in children with behavioral disorders, as acknowledged in our editorial. However, we strongly disagree that there is sound evidence for long‐term effectiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]