2221 – Help Seeking Process Among Children Attending Psychiatry Clinic In Tirana, Albania

Abstract

Introduction

There is a marked increase in the role of perceptions of parents and professionals identifying of problems in preschool children (Verhulst, & Verloove-Vanhorick, 2004). Only 2–5% of consultations of children and adolescents include presentations with emotional or behavioral problems (Garralda, 2002).

Objectives

This study examined the way how mentally ill children arrive at psychiatric clinic in Tirana.

Methods

The data used here are from an Albanian study about mental health problems and service use among children and adolescents. 100 children and their respective parents participated in this study and completed different parent questionnaires during the first study session. Age range was between 6 to 17 years, 58% of them were female.

Results

The clinic of child/adolescent psychiatry was the second most common point of entry for children up to 14 years old and first point of entry for youths between the ages of 14 and 17.

Conclusions

Based on the results of this study, several groups that needed intervention in order to increase child mental health service use were identified.