[Infant and child psychiatry in Denmark].
BACKGROUND
A descriptive epidemiological study of children aged 0-36 months.


METHODS
Diagnoses reported from the child psychiatric departments to The National Psychiatric Register were collected from a three-year period 1996, 1997, and 1998. The child psychiatric departments in Denmark filled in a questionnaire concerning referral, assessment, treatment, and consultant/liason functions. All the child psychiatric departments took part in the study.


RESULTS
529 children aged 0-3 years were reported to the National Psychiatric Register. In the period studied, there was a 30% increase in the number of children reported. Adjustment reactions were the commonest diagnosis in the youngest children, aged 0-12 months. Pervasive developmental disorders, particularly infantile autism, were commonest used in the age group 2-3 years. Twenty-four per cent of the children reported, especially the youngest children, had no specific psychiatric diagnosis. The increase in the number of children aged 0-1 year with adjustment reactions and non-specific diagnoses is discussed. Children aged 0-3 years are mainly treated as outpatients or by a consultant/liason child psychiatric service. The children referred to the child psychiatric departments in 1997 varied from fewer than 10 to about 100 children. Infant psychiatric units were established in two places in Denmark, in 1992 and 1997.


CONCLUSIONS
The increasing number of children aged 0-3 years reported to the National Psychiatric Register in the period 1996-1998 reflects an increase in the children aged 2-3 years diagnosed with pervasive developmental disorders, and in the case of the youngest children, aged 0-1 year, a more extensive child psychiatric intervention in relation to populations at risk, such as infants with mentally ill mothers.
Børnepsykiatrisk afdeling, Amtssygehuset i Glostrup.
A M
AM
Skovgaard
H M
HM
Hoffmann
M
M
Moszkowicz
K I
KI
Bjørnholm
D002648:Child; D002659:Child Development Disorders, Pervasive / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy; D002662:Child Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D002665:Child Psychiatry; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003718:Denmark / Q000453:epidemiology; D002658:Developmental Disabilities / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy; D008605:Mental Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008609:Mental Status Schedule; D011567:Psychiatric Department, Hospital / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012017:Referral and Consultation; D012042:Registries; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires