Establish Pediatric Psychiatry Services in Every Hospital and Clinic

As a government policy, all disorders of children and adolescents below the age of 18 are being treated in pediatric departments, and gradually all services are being shifted to the pediatric department. Child Guidance Clinics in government hospitals run under the pediatric department, with a psychologist employed there. Similarly, Early Intervention Services at the district level require a full-time pediatrician, but a psychiatrist is required to visit only twice a week.¹

The increasing venture of other specialities, such as pediatricians, into child psychiatry areas—which are considered the core domain of psychiatrists—is throwing the field into turmoil and leading to less than adequate treatment of these patients.

There is a need to enhance the core competencies of psychiatrists in the field of child and adolescent psychiatry, as well as to establish and provide services for these disorders.²

Though a rose is a rose by every other name, terminology and labeling are increasingly playing a major role in today’s world. My suggestion in this regard is to change the nomenclature to “Pediatric Psychiatry,” as it will help psychiatry to place childhood disorders under the rubric of “Pediatric.” This will aid in resource allocation, attract services toward psychiatry departments, and make it easier for search engines to locate it.

Research in child psychiatry in India remains largely unexplored, especially in the area of neurodevelopmental disorders.³ A review of existing literature mostly reveals types of patients and their sociodemographic details, which is highly inadequate. There is a need for evidence-based pediatric psychopharmacology, and researchers should direct their attention to the legal, ethical, and regulatory aspects of pediatric psychopharmacology.⁴ The unregulated use of unproven nutraceuticals is a problematic area and may lead to harm and legal complications.

10%–20% of the pediatric population has mental health problems, and most psychiatric disorders originate during this age. Suicide in this group is the second leading cause of death.⁵ Psychiatrists are duty-bound to care for these patients and must establish pediatric psychiatry services and increase their core competencies, particularly for neurodevelopmental disorders.