Pattern of psychiatric morbidity in children attending a general psychiatric unit.

Patterns of psychiatric morbidity were studied retrospectively in children who attended the psychiatric outpatient clinic of a general hospital over a period of two years (January 1991-December 1992). Three hundred and eighty six children attended the clinic during this period. Twenty three percent of the children were diagnosed as mental retardation, whereas epilepsy was the diagnosis in 21% cases. A formal psychiatric diagnosis could be made only in less than half of the cases. The findings are discussed in terms of public awareness about child psychiatric disorders.