Clinical and sociodemographic characteristics of children and adolescents under health measure

Purpose: The aim of this study was to retrospectively examine the reasons for the health measures applied to children and adolescents who applied to the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Outpatient Clinic, whether additional measures were applied, sociodemographic characteristics, diagnoses and treatments.Materials and methods: The files of 150 children and adolescents who applied to the outpatient clinic with a health measure decision between 01.01.2023 and 31.12.2024 were retrospectively reviewed.Results: The most common diagnosis was depressive disorder (35%), and antipsychotics (44%) and antidepressants (35%) were the most commonly used treatments. Sexual abuse was significantly higher in females and being a child dragged into crime was significantly higher in males (p=0.002). Substance abuse was significantly higher in children who did not continue their education (p=0.022). The diagnosis of ADHD and conduct disorder was significantly higher in males and depressive disorder was significantly higher in females (p<0.001; p=0.005; p<0.001). Intellectual disability was found to be significantly higher in children dragged into crime (p<0.001). A significant correlation was found between the diagnosis of anxiety disorder and regular outpatient follow-up, and substance use disorder and not attending regular follow-up (p=0.031; p=0.034).Conclusion: The study has allowed us to evaluate the sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of cases with health measures and better understand the importance and impact of mental health support and follow-up for children. More comprehensive and longitudinal studies in this field are important for strengthening the child protection system.