Evaluation of Psychopathology in Children Referred for Psychiatric Consultation

Background: Psychiatric disorders among children and adolescents in India are increasingly prevalent ranging from 10-30%, the highest being depressive disorders (3-68%), yet it's highly underdiagnosed in India. Aim: Evaluation of children referred to Psychiatry OPD over a 3 month period at a tertiary health care centre. This is Methods: a prospective observational study evaluating children being referred. Psychiatric clinical interview and mental status examination was done, and diagnosis was made according to DSM-5 criteria. Severity was assessed using rating scales like HAM-A, HAM-D, BPRS and YBOCS. Pharmacotherapy was initiated and patients were followed up. We had 23 child Results: ren referred to us over 3 months. Children with depressive disorders was found in 73.9% & 23.5% of them reported suicidal ideas and schizophrenia was seen in 8.7% of children. Other diagnosis included OCD, GAD, FNSD, and conduct disorder (4.3% each) respectively. Family history of psychiatric illness was found in 82.6% of children. All the children were treated and a 50% reduction in symptoms was observed after 1 month. An alarming number of 73.9% of Conclusion: children had depressive disorders with suicidal ideas in 23.5% of them. This highlights the need for a regular screening of children in schools for early detection of psychiatric disorders and timely intervention.