Paediatric assessment in a residential child and adolescent psychiatry unit

Objective: To document the health status, comorbidity and functional impairments experienced by a group of psychiatrically disturbed children and adolescents. Methodology: A detailed study of consecutive admissions to a residential unit over a two-year period was undertaken. All admissions had a comprehensive paediatric, speech pathology and psychiatric assessment. Results: Compared to the general population, there was a significant history of developmental delay and low birthweight, but only a slightly greater prevalence of antenatal problems. Clumsiness.(37%), severe speech and language disorder (32%), and hearing loss (15%) were prominent. Only 25% had no history of comorbid medical or neurological disorders. Conclusion: Children and adolescents presenting with moderate to severe mental health morbidity may have pre-existing comorbid medical problems, as well as unrecognized difficulties and impairments in other skills areas. Multidisciplinary assessment and intervention should be an integral part of the residential programme.