MENTAL DISORDERS OF CHILDREN HOSPITALIZED IN A PEDIATRIC WARD. A STATISTICAL AND PSYCHOTHERAPEUTIC PERSPECTIVE

Introduction:The global prevalence (pooled-prevalence) of mental illnesses in children and adolescents
is 13.4%, the prevalence of anxiety disorders is 6.5%, of depressive disorders 2.6%, and of activity and
attention disorders 3.4 %.
Materials and Methods: This research represents a 4-year retrospective study, including cases
of continuous hospitalization, conducted in the Bistrita Emergency County Hospital, pediatrics
department. The cases with the main discharge diagnostic code F were selected. The aim of the study
was to analyze the diagnoses from a statistical and psychotherapeutic point of view.
Results: In the case of patients with the main diagnosis coded with the letter F, the relative value
(RV) of the case is higher than the pacient complexity index (PCI) of the section in most cases, in
other words the complexity of these cases is higher than the average complexity of the section’s cases.
The length of stay index (LOS) for psychiatric patients is most often a lower value than the average
length of hospitalization (ALOS), or the length of hospitalization of psychiatric cases is shorter than
the average length of hospitalization of the entire department. The most frequent group F diagnoses
found are: F98.9 - Unspecified behavioral and emotional disorders with onset usually in childhood
and adolescence, F98.8 - Other specified disorders of behavioral and emotional disorders with onset
usually in childhood and adolescence, F90 .1 - Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, predominantly
hyperactive type , F90.0 - Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, predominantly inattentive type,
F92.0 - Depressive conduct disorder, F41.0 - Panic disorder (paroxysmal episodic anxiety) without
agoraphobia, F71.0 - Moderate mental retardation with declaration of a minimal or no behavioral
impairments, F90.0 - Disturbance of activity and attention, F93.8 - Other emotional disorders of
childhood, F98.0 - Nonorganic enuresis.
Conclusions: Diagnoses labeled F98 (Other behavioral and emotional disorders with usual onset in
childhood and adolescence) were the most common. The complexity and non-specificity of pathologies
can justify the importance of some psychotherapeutic interventions among diagnosed patients both
during the respective episode of hospitalization and especially after discharge, for the good recovery
and psycho-emotional development of children.