Publication:

Clinical profile of child and adolescent patients attending a mental hospital OPD

Background Psychiatric morbidity profile of children and adolescents is very different from that of adults. These problems are rising but largely remain unreported. Very few studies have been carried out in this specialty of psychiatry.

Methods In this retrospective file review study, all child and adolescent patients attending the general psychiatry out-patient between January-August 2014 in a city of central India. Semi-structured socio-demographic and clinical profile collection performa and international classification of diseases-10 (ICD-10) were used as tool and statistical analysis was done by using SPSS 16.

Results The results showed that among total 2544 children presented during study period, 175 children (6.8%) had psychiatric morbidity. Most of them were in the age group of 11-16 years, from middle income group, illiterate, Hindu by religion and residing in urban locality. No significant sexual preference was found regarding distribution of the disorders. Mental retardation was commonest (n=112; 64%), without (n=42; 24%) and with co-morbidities (epilepsy n=42; 24%, behavioural disturbance n= 28; 16%) found to be the most prevalent disorder followed by epilepsy (7%), ADHD (5.7%), schizophrenia and other psychosis (5.7%), depression (4%) and autism 1.1% and then others.

Conclusions Mental and psychiatric services for children lag behind those for adults in developing countries. Also, a community based study can be a better study design in future.