Main Article Content
Prevalence And Detection Of Psychiatric Disorders Among Children And Adolescents Attending A Primary Health Care Clinic
Abstract
Objectives: To investigate (1) the prevalence of psychiatric disorders among children and adolescents attending a PHC clinic (2) the ability of PHC doctors to identify disorders (3) the performance of the Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children, Version 2.3 (DISC-2.3)
Design: A cross-sectional study of a clinical population
Setting and subjects: 391 children and adolescents aged 6-16 years attending the Guguletu Day Hospital were screened using the WHO Reporting Questionnaire for Children (RQC)
Outcome measures: Doctors, blind to the results of the RQC, completed the WHO Health Staff Rating form (HSR). The DISC-2.3 was administered at home in all screen positive cases, and in every third screen negative case (n=300)
Results: 46 (13,3%) of the 300 subjects met the DISC-2.3 criteria for psychiatric disorder with impairment. PHC doctors correctly identified only 10.8% of subjects with a disorder.
Conclusions: A low rate of detection of psychiatric disorders by PHC doctors was found. The DISC-2.3 was long but was otherwise a useful diagnostic instrument
Southern African Jnl Child and Adolescent Mental Health Vol.13(1) 2001:30-40
Design: A cross-sectional study of a clinical population
Setting and subjects: 391 children and adolescents aged 6-16 years attending the Guguletu Day Hospital were screened using the WHO Reporting Questionnaire for Children (RQC)
Outcome measures: Doctors, blind to the results of the RQC, completed the WHO Health Staff Rating form (HSR). The DISC-2.3 was administered at home in all screen positive cases, and in every third screen negative case (n=300)
Results: 46 (13,3%) of the 300 subjects met the DISC-2.3 criteria for psychiatric disorder with impairment. PHC doctors correctly identified only 10.8% of subjects with a disorder.
Conclusions: A low rate of detection of psychiatric disorders by PHC doctors was found. The DISC-2.3 was long but was otherwise a useful diagnostic instrument
Southern African Jnl Child and Adolescent Mental Health Vol.13(1) 2001:30-40
