The purpose of this book is to provide a children's mental health resource tailored to the
needs of physicians working with children. There are currently no such texts despite the fact
that there are patient care healthcare systems and workforce factors that indicate a strong
need for such a resource. Approximately 1 in 5 children are diagnosed with a mental illness by
the age of 18. Additionally mental health conditions including Attention Deficit
Hyperactivity Disorder are consistently among the most common chronic conditions in pediatric
clinical populations. Delays in both diagnosis and treatment increase the morbidity associated
with these conditions. These delays expose the child to negative ramifications of his her
illness and can impact rates of poor academic performance substance use disorders and criminal
justice system involvement - potentially impacting long-term life trajectories. Early
identification of mental illness and appropriate intervention is critical to the healthy
development of youth though physicians in primary care and pediatrics are seldom trained to
detect and treat such illnesses. The importance of recognizing mental illness is reflected in
practice guidelines for pediatric primary care providers as well as in how service delivery is
being structured but this does not offer in-depth clinical guidelines. Additionally
integrated care and medical home models include mental health as key components though yet
again physicians are often not trained to work with these models. While clearly indicated
clinically these requirements do not come with significant increases in reimbursement and are
added to an already demanding schedule. Increasingly providers are also expected to use
evidence based screening instruments without exposure to this body of literature. Some guidance
on using those instruments in context will help them to use those tools more effectively.
Finally primary care providers and even some adult psychiatrists and psychologists are
operating in a healthcare system with a severe nationwide shortage of child and adolescent
psychiatrists and mental healthcare providers. While a text certainly cannot single-handedly
compensate for such a workforce shortage it could potentially help to mitigate the negative
impact on patients by facilitating early identification and treatment in the primary care
setting. Additionally with more effective treatment in pediatric settings less complex cases
may be addressed before specialty care is needed and the expertise of child and adolescent
psychiatrists can be more effectively used for more complex cases. Pediatric Psychiatry in
Primary Care is the ultimate resource for clinicians working with children including
pediatricians family physicians general psychiatrists psychologists early career child
psychiatrists social workers nurses school counselors and all clinical professionals who
may encounter children struggling with psychiatric disorders.
