Open Access
ARTICLE
Pathways to Psychiatry Care among Children with Mental Health Problems
Hisham A. Ramy, Soheir H. Elghonemy, Nesreen M. Mohsen, Safi M. Nagib*, Mohamed Y. Mohamed
Neuropsychiatry Department, Ain Shams University, Cairo, 11566, Egypt
* Corresponding Author: Safi M. Nagib. Email:
International Journal of Mental Health Promotion 2022, 24(4), 539-550. https://doi.org/10.32604/ijmhp.2022.020108
Received 04 November 2021; Accepted 21 February 2022; Issue published 27 May 2022
Abstract
Many children with mental health problems in Egypt, as in many other countries, do not receive the help they need. Investigating the pathways of care is crucial for the early detection and treatment of these children. This study examined referral patterns and the duration of untreated psychiatric illness of 350 children attending two urban clinical settings in Egypt. Diagnoses were made using the Kiddie Schedule for Affective Disorder and Schizophrenia for School-aged children present and lifetime (K-SADS-PL), Child behavior checklist (CBCL,) and the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale. For 46.3%, the most distressing symptom was behavioral problems. A delay in seeking psychiatric help was found. positive family history, and lower socioeconomic class were associated with delays in psychiatric consultation. For 39.7% of patients, the first contact was with a psychiatrist. Most children were referred by relatives. Awareness programs are needed to increase knowledge about and to decrease the duration of untreated illness.
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APA Style
Ramy, H.A., Elghonemy, S.H., Mohsen, N.M., Nagib, S.M., Mohamed, M.Y. (2022). Pathways to psychiatry care among children with mental health problems. International Journal of Mental Health Promotion, 24(4), 539-550. https://doi.org/10.32604/ijmhp.2022.020108
Vancouver Style
Ramy HA, Elghonemy SH, Mohsen NM, Nagib SM, Mohamed MY. Pathways to psychiatry care among children with mental health problems. Int J Ment Health Promot. 2022;24(4):539-550 https://doi.org/10.32604/ijmhp.2022.020108
IEEE Style
H.A. Ramy, S.H. Elghonemy, N.M. Mohsen, S.M. Nagib, and M.Y. Mohamed "Pathways to Psychiatry Care among Children with Mental Health Problems," Int. J. Ment. Health Promot., vol. 24, no. 4, pp. 539-550. 2022. https://doi.org/10.32604/ijmhp.2022.020108