Psychiatric morbidity in children attending child guidance clinic in a tertiary care teaching hospital

Background: Mental health and its related problems are growing concerns over the world. The early onset of emotional and behavioral problem in the young children is related to a variety of health and behavior problems in adolescence and later life as well. Most of these children present to Pediatric outpatient clinics owing to the Stigma and lack of awareness. The aim of the study is to find out the pattern and prevalence of psychiatric morbidity in children presenting to pediatric outpatient clinics.Methods: It is a cross sectional, point prevalence study of children who have attended Child Guidance Clinic of Pediatric Department in a tertiary care teaching hospital October 2019 to January 2020. Clinical and demographic details was collected in a semi-structured proforma and the details were analyzed.Results: A total of 114 children were analyzed during the study period and this study comprised of 62 boys and 52 girls. Most of the children belonged to the age group of 11-15 years (51%) followed by the ages of 6-10(29.8%). Most common reason for consultation was change in behavior, school refusal and poor academic performance. The most common diagnosis made was Dissociative Conversion Disorder (17.6%), Nocturnal enuresis (15.7%), Mild Mental Retardation (10.5%) and Seizure Disorder with Behavioral Problems (10.5%).Conclusions: A significant number of children attending the Paediatric OPD of general hospitals have psychiatric disorders. The emotional and behavioral problems in children often present with physical symptoms. An effective liaison of services will help to identify and treat children with psychiatric morbidity.

Voice of the Learning-Disabled Adolescents

The present research aimed to understand the concerns of 20 Learning-Disabled adolescents in their academic and Non-academic areas. This was an exploratory study using interview method, that probed expression of the challenges they face in their school. The sample was selected in a child guidance clinic in Delhi. They were led by directional open-ended questions, leading them to talk about their concerns in academic and non-academic areas. Findings indicated their feelings of dejection and demotivation, inappropriate manner of teaching, choice of subjects, judgements based on marks and feeling unheard. They were restricted for games, library, zero-periods, third language and activity periods and were taught by special educators instead of subject specialised teachers. This added to conflicts, maladjustment, inappropriate labelling, loss of peer group and a feeling of inadequacy. They added that reduced and simplified content, compromised expectations, simpler subjects offered by the boards have made the academic journey easier, but it has also kept their potentials from full bloom.

The Determination of the Intellectual Equipment Is Imperative: Mental Hygiene, Problem Children, and the History of the Provincial Child Guidance Clinic of British Columbia, 1932–1958

The founding in 1932 of British Columbia’s provincial Child Guidance Clinic by Dr. A. L. Crease of Essondale Mental Hospital was seen as a medically progressive measure in the preventive work to stem mental ailments in children and prevent future adult mental illness. The clinic’s history and the influence of mental hygiene on early twentieth-century medical, educational, and social service agencies in BC that dealt with so-called “problem children” has received limited scholarly attention. This paper argues that the mental hygiene agenda was cultivated by psychiatrists working at mental asylums, teachers of “subnormal” children, child welfare advocates, and university-trained social workers, all of whom increasingly shaped child-saving policy in British Columbia. However, from its beginnings, the British Columbia provincial Child Guidance Clinic had an unstable clinical history and it was completely reorganized in 1946 and subsequently closed in 1958. The clinic’s history stood in stark contrast to Alberta’s child guidance clinics, which applied a rigid mental hygiene policy of eugenic sterilization until the early 1970s. This significant difference indicates the need for other detailed microhistories of child psychiatry and child guidance clinics across Canada.

Alphabet problems linked with learning disability in children: a cross sectional study

Background: Learning Disability (LD) is a frequently neglected entity in our set up, with the affected children being labeled as dull and worthless. The feeling of inadequacy and shame leads to psychological problems in approx. 30% of these children. These include low self-esteem, school phobia, anxiety, depression, oppositional-defiant behavior and conduct disorders. Early recognition of this disability in the primary school children and initiating appropriate remedial measures can significantly reduce morbidity. Authors objective was to study the prevalence and pattern of alphabet problems in children with learning disability.Methods: This was a cross sectional study done in the Child Guidance Clinic of a tertiary care teaching hospital in Chitradurga district, Karnataka, between January 2016 and January 2018. After obtaining informed consent from parents, children between ages 5 to 17 years, diagnosed to have learning disability, were asked to write upper and lower case alphabets in English. Alphabet problem was diagnosed if child had mixing of upper and lower case alphabets, missing of alphabets, reversals and improper sequence. Association of alphabet problems with age and sex was studied.Results: There were 293 children with learning disability, between 5-17 yr of age, attending our Child Guidance Clinic, who were assessed for alphabet problems. Alphabet problems were noted in 83.6% children. Mixing of upper and lower case alphabets was seen in 74.74%, missing of alphabets in 25.94%, reversal of alphabet in 21.50% and errors in sequencing in 12.97%. The prevalence of alphabet problems was higher in the 5-8yr age group. Prevalence of alphabet problems was more in males compared to females.Conclusions: Alphabet problems were present in a significant number of children with learning disability. Presence of alphabet problems could be used as a simple screening tool for children with learning disabilities.

The treatment in a child guidance clinic of emotionally disturbed children showing speech defects

No abstract available.