Patterns of referral to child psychiatry in Hong Kong

The referral pattern by three major sources to the Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Unit of a university teaching hospital in Hong Kong is reviewed. In a health care system where primary health care is not properly developed, referral of children with psychiatric problems relies heavily on secondary health care professionals. Over a three year period, 37.8% of the new cases were referred by the other departments of the same hospital, while the Education Department and general practitioners each referred 17.4%. Overall, up to 80% of these children had definite psychiatric problems. Because the morbidities of these children often traverse physical, psychological, social, and educational dimensions, a close liaison with all the different professionals involved is vital.