Annotation: Pathways to care for children with mental health problems

Area of Science:

• Child and Adolescent Mental Health
• Healthcare Services Research
• Public Health

Background:

• Children with mental health problems frequently interact with primary healthcare services.
• A significant gap exists between the need for and receipt of appropriate mental health care in children.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review the literature on children's pathways to mental health care.
• To identify barriers and facilitators in accessing child mental health services.

Main Methods:

• Systematic literature review using a "pathways to care" model.
• Analysis of help-seeking stages: parental perception, primary care use, recognition, and referral.

Main Results:

• Parental perception of problems is a critical first step.
• Less than half of children with mental health disorders are recognized in primary care.
• Only about one-third of children with disorders ultimately receive mental health services.

Conclusions:

• Inequities in service use necessitate enhanced resources at population and primary care levels.
• Minimizing barriers related to parental perception and expression of concerns is vital.
• Public education and improved primary care training/support are needed to improve child mental health care access.