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The role of the child psychiatric ward in health care: experiences with different types of admissions over a period of twenty-one years

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 June 2014

Colin Gray
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Aberdeen
Douglas Chisholm
Affiliation:
Department of Child & Family Psychiatry, Royal Aberdeen Children's Hospital
Patricia Smith
Affiliation:
Psychology Department, Bellsdyke Hospital, Larbert FK5 4SF
Madeline Brown
Affiliation:
Department of Child & Family Psychiatry, Royal Aberdeen Children's Hospital
Christina McKay
Affiliation:
Department of Child and Family Psychiatry, Royal Aberdeen Children's Hospital

Abstract

The concept of the child psychiatric unit is considered. The character, capacities and activities of one unit are described and some features of the admissions over its first 21 years are discussed in relation to the findings of other studies. Among the factors considered are the patients' presenting diagnoses, their sex, their physical health and their length of stay in the Unit. Some possible future directions for the Unit are discussed, and the pattern of work over the two decades covered by the study is related to current and future requirements. It is suggested that for several categories of disorder, a child psychiatric unit offers unique advantages in both assessment and treatment.

Type
Original Papers
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1992

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