Child health surveillance for psychiatric disorder: practical guidelines.

A change in the child's usual behaviour, emotion, or thoughts * Persistent -for at least two weeks * Severe enough to interfere with the child's everyday life * A handicap to the child and/or the carers * Taking account of the child's stage of development * Taking account of the sociocultural context Table 2 Child risk factors for psychiatric disorder * Low IQ -as high as 40% risk with severe learning difficulties * Difficult temperament * Physical illness 20%+ risk with epilepsy Slight increased risk with most other illness * Specific developmental delay * Communication difficulty * Academic failure * Low self esteem