Socio-demographic and clinical characteristics of psychiatric inpatients of Children's Clinical University Hospital Child Psychiatry Clinic in H1 2020

In recent years, child and adolescent mental health have been an emerging concern throughout the world. The aim of this research project was to review the socio-demographic and clinical characteristics of the psychiatric inpatient population during the first half of 2020. Retrospective chart review of all inpatients hospitalized in the Child psychiatry clinic, Children's Clinical University Hospital, Riga, Latvia from Jan 1st till Jun 30, 2020.  Socio-demographic characteristics and clinical factors such as duration of illness, diagnosis, type of treatment, and involved medical specialists were collected. In total 143 psychiatric admissions happened during the time of review. The gender distribution was equal, with 75 (52%) being boys. The mean age of the patients was 11 (SD 4.8), the mean duration of hospitalization - 12.4 days (SD 10.1).  In more than half of the cases (54%) issues related to the social environment were identified, that significantly influenced the child’s mental health state. A social worker was involved in 15% of cases. 23 children (16%) have attempted self-harm, and most of them (17 children) also had an additional diagnosis related to social-environmental problems. During the time of review, children were hospitalized in similar parts in an acute (49%) and planned (51%) manner. The majority of cases- 111 (78%) were hospitalized for the first time. The distribution by main primary diagnosis groups: 20% had developmental disorders, 15% emotional and behavioral disorders of childhood, 13% affective disorders, 12% stress-related disorders. 6% of patients received only pharmacological therapy, 36% received only non-pharmacological therapy, and the majority (53%) received combined treatments. In the inpatient psychiatric child and adolescent population, social and environmental factors play a prominent role in the causation of mental distress. It is important to ensure that these factors are taken into account and purposefully addressed by appropriate psychosocial interventions.