Perception of need for child psychiatry services among parents and general practitioners

Previous research has found the prevalence of child psychiatric disorder in the general population to be between 7% and 25%, and higher among attenders at some general practitioners' surgeries. This survey examines the perception of need among general practitioners and parents of general practice attenders, and compares this with the prevalence of disorder found using the Rutter A Questionnaire for Parents. The results support claims that the services for children with psychiatric disorders are inadequate. However, many children with disorders are presented to other professionals by their parents. Ways to extend the service synergistically to meet some of the unmet need are discussed. The need for further research to be undertaken, which would effectively target such scarce resources, is identified.