Psychiatry, Aalborg University Hospital, Denmark.
Department of Clinical Medicine, Aalborg University, Denmark.
Clin Child Psychol Psychiatry. 2021 Apr;26(2):569-585. doi: 10.1177/1359104521994192. Epub 2021 Feb 16.
To investigate parental help-seeking patterns prior to referral to outpatient child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS), and whether type of symptoms or duration of mental health problems prior to referral influence help-seeking.
Child mental health services in Denmark involve several sectors collaborating based on stepped-care principles. Access to CAMHS is free of charge but requires a formal referral.
In this cross-sectional observational study, parents of 250 children were interviewed about pathways to outpatient CAMHS using the Children's Services Interview.
The median parent-reported duration of mental health problems prior to referral to CAMHS was 6.0 (IQR 3.4-8.5) years for children referred for neurodevelopmental disorders compared to 2.8 (IQR 1.0-6.5) years for children referred for emotional disorders. Educational services were the first help-seeking contact for the majority (57.5%) but referrals to CAMHS were most frequently from healthcare services (56.4%), predominantly general practitioners. Educational services played a greater part in help-seeking pathways for children referred for neurodevelopmental disorders.
The majority of children referred to CAMHS have mental health problems for years before referral. The delay in time-to-referral was most pronounced for children referred for neurodevelopmental disorders. Help-seeking pathways differ by symptom duration and type of symptoms.
调查在转介至儿童和青少年精神卫生服务（CAMHS）门诊之前父母寻求帮助的模式，以及在转介之前症状的类型或精神健康问题的持续时间是否会影响寻求帮助的行为。
丹麦的儿童精神卫生服务涉及多个部门根据分级护理原则合作。获得 CAMHS 是免费的，但需要正式转诊。
在这项横断面观察性研究中，使用儿童服务访谈，对 250 名儿童的父母进行了关于转介至 CAMHS 门诊的途径的访谈。
与情绪障碍患儿相比，转介至神经发育障碍患儿的父母报告的 CAMHS 转介前精神健康问题的中位数持续时间为 6.0（IQR 3.4-8.5）年，而转介至情绪障碍患儿的父母报告的 CAMHS 转介前精神健康问题的中位数持续时间为 2.8（IQR 1.0-6.5）年。大多数（57.5%）患儿首先寻求教育服务，但向 CAMHS 转介最常见的是来自医疗保健服务（56.4%），主要是全科医生。教育服务在转介至神经发育障碍的患儿的寻求帮助途径中发挥了更大的作用。
大多数转介至 CAMHS 的患儿在转介之前已经有多年的精神健康问题。在转介时间方面，神经发育障碍患儿的延迟最为明显。寻求帮助的途径因症状持续时间和症状类型而异。
