Doubling of the capacity of child psychiatric services in a region of southwestern Norway--how did it affect the composition of the clinical population?
This study analyzes changes in reasons for referral, diagnoses, age at referral and waiting times when the capacity of child and adolescent mental health services in an area was doubled over an 8-year period. In the region studied, there is a population of 60,000 children in the age-range 0-13 years. The treatment capacity rose from treating 0.9% of the population per year to 1.8%. There were only slight changes in the distribution of reasons for referral. Among diagnoses, there was a significant increase in the proportion of hyperkinetic disorder, at the expense of stress-related disorders, conduct disorders and emotional disorders with onset in childhood. Furthermore, the study found that the wait duration and age at referral remained almost unchanged. The results of the study support that the capacity of the services in 2004 is still not sufficient to meet fully the population needs, and that awareness should be directed towards early intervention and children with emotional disorders.
Kriz
Silvia
S
Department of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, Stavanger University Hospital, PO Box 8100, Stavanger 4068, Norway. skr@sus.no
Thomsen
Per Hove
PH
D000293:Adolescent; D000342:Affective Symptoms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D002662:Child Health Services / Q000639:trends*; D002665:Child Psychiatry / Q000639:trends*; D019955:Conduct Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005544:Forecasting; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000639:trends*; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand / Q000639:trends; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008605:Mental Health Services / Q000639:trends*; D009664:Norway; D012017:Referral and Consultation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D040921:Stress Disorders, Traumatic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D014850:Waiting Lists