Table 2.
Content of referral letters for the four most common primary referral diagnoses
| Affective disorder | Anxiety disorder | ASD | ADHD/ADD | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| N | % | N | % | N | % | N | % | |
| 255 | (14.0) | 212 | (11.6) | 409 | (22.4) | 509 | (27.9%) | |
| Sociodemographic characteristics | ||||||||
| Boys | 80 | (31.4) | 84 | (39.6) | 311 | (76.0) | 338 | (66.4) |
| Referral age, median (IQR) | 16.1 | (14.5–17.1) | 14.8 | (12.1–16.4) | 10.7 | (7.2–14.1) | 10.6 | (8.0–14.8) |
| Placement in care | 16 | (6.3) | 6 | (2.8) | 15 | (3.7) | 38 | (7.5) |
| Referral source | ||||||||
| - General Practitioner | 288 | (89.4) | 164 | (77.4) | 93 | (22.7) | 177 | (34.8) |
| - Other medical doctor | 15 | (5.9) | 23 | (10.8) | 48 | (11.7) | (10.6) | |
| - Educational psychologist | 7 | (2.8) | 20 | (9.4) | 239 | (58.4) | 54 | (47.7) |
| - Case worker social services | 5 | (2.0) | 5 | (2.4) | 29 | (7.1) | 243 35 | (6.9) |
| Previous support/interventions | ||||||||
| Combined (school, psychosocial and healthcare) | 173 | (67.8) | 159 | (75.0) | 385 | (94.1) | 457 | (89.8) |
| In school | ||||||||
| - Extra attention from teacher | 16 | (6.3) | 17 | (8.0) | 22 | (5.4) | 35 | (6.9) |
| - Educational psychologist involved | 37 | (14.5) | 41 | (19.3) | 193 | (47.2) | 206 | (40.5) |
| - Part time support teacher in class | ≤4 | (≤1.6) | 9 | (4.3) | 48 | (11.7) | 62 | (12.2) |
| - Full time special needs education | 18 | (7.1) | 26 | (12.3) | 93 | (22.7) | 112 | (22.0) |
| Psychosocial | ||||||||
| - For the child | 105 | (41.2) | 89 | (42.0) | 76 | (18.6) | 86 | (16.9) |
| - For the parents | 14 | (5.5) | 10 | (4.7) | 48 | (11.7) | 82 | (16.1) |
| - For both the child and parents | 5 | (2.0) | 6 | (2.8) | 9 | (2.2) | 18 | (3.5) |
| Healthcare | ||||||||
| - Allied health professionals | 4 | (1.6) | 7 | (3.3) | 97 | (23.7) | 73 | (14.3) |
| - Medical doctor | 44 | (17.3) | 55 | (25.9) | 108 | (26.4) | 135 | (26.5) |
| Description of cognitive level | ||||||||
| - Academic level | 37 | (14.5) | 39 | (18.4) | 31 | (7.6) | 37 | (7.3) |
| - Cognitive testing | 11 | (4.3) | 32 | (15.1) | 281 | (68.7) | 321 | (63.1) |
| Impact on schooling | ||||||||
| - Academic problems | 12 | (4.7) | 6 | (2.8) | 83 | (20.3) | 138 | (27.1) |
| - Absence on some days | 46 | (18.0) | 37 | (17.5) | 48 | (11.7) | 68 | (13.4) |
| - Complete school absence | 34 | (13.3) | 45 | (21.2) | 41 | (10.0) | 19 | (3.7) |
| Self-harm and suicidal ideations | ||||||||
| - Self-harm | 20 | (7.8) | 7 | (3.3) | 21 | (5.1) | 25 | (4.9) |
| - Suicidal ideations | 105 | (41.2) | 18 | (8.5) | 29 | (7.1) | 26 | (5.1) |
| - Self-harm and suicidal ideations | 51 | (20.0) | 4 | (1.9) | 9 | (2.2) | 14 | (2.8) |
ASD Autism Spectrum Disorders, ADHD/ADD Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder/Attention Deficit Disorder