O pediatra e a percepção dos transtornos mentais na infância e adolescência

The pediatrician and the perception of mental disorders in childhood and adolescence

Abstract

The law 10.216/02 which governs the national policy for Mental Health and the psychiatric reform proposed the creation of a substitutive network to the old model at psychiatric hospitals, in the attempt to insert such patients in the social and family environment. One of the main challenges of SUS is the CAPSI (psychosocial child care center). It still a challenge to determine the infant-juvenile demand in terms of mental disorders, because the lack of statistics and records of these pathologies. Most of the studies, researches, politics and practices of the mental health care is been focus at adults. It is estimated that 10 to 20% of children and adolescents suffer from mild to severe mental disorder. The causes for these disorders are genetic and environmental. In this context, it is a challenge to the pediatrician to diagnose mental disorders, preferentially in precocious stage. Why the pediatrician should take this responsibility? Because it is him, that has the fi rst contact with the patient, monitors the child’s mental development and has the patient’s family close for his semiological investigation