Objective: Children and adolescents with severe mental problems to the extent not to be treated under polyclinic conditions may require to be hospitalized and evaluated in detail while under supervision, have an arranged treatment, get the side effects of drugs observed and have an opportunity to advanced examination and treatment. Turkey has a limited number of inpatient psychiatry services aimed at children and adolescents. The purpose of this article was to share the first 9-month data of our inpatient psychiatry service that has just been opened for children and adolescents.
Method: Files of 68 patients (42 girls, 26 boys), who were hospitalized and treated in the inpatient service of Inonu University Turgut Ozal Medical Center Child and Adolescent Psychiatry for 9 months, were examined retrospectively. SPSS for Windows 16 software was used to conduct the statistics of the study.
Results: The age average of cases was determined as 15.15±2.53 (min:3.70, max:17.80). The disease group causing the most frequent hospitalization was psychotic disorders (12 schizophrenia, 4 brief psychotic disorder, 2 schizophreni form disorder) with a rate of 26.5% (n=18) and depression disorders with a rate of 26.5% (n=18). The average hospitalization duration of cases was 25.02±1.87 days. The disorder causing the longest hospitalization duration was Bipolar Affective Disorder. It was determined that while 60.3% (n=41) of patients received pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy, 36.8% (n=25) received only pharmacotherapy as treatment. Multiple drugs were used in 64.7% (n=44) of cases. The most frequently used drug group was antipsychotic drugs.
Conclusion: Turkey has not still had a sufficient number of inpatient services of child and adolescent psychiatry. Thus, we think that the increase of studies on the clinical and socio-demographic features of children and adolescents receiving treatment in these services, as well as sharing the experiences will significantly contribute to literature and clinical practices.