PATHWAY TO SERVICE AND DURATION OF UNTREATED ATTENTION DEFICIT HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER AMONG CHILDREN PRESENTED TO A GOVERNMENTAL MENTAL HEALTH HOSPITAL IN EGYPT

Abstract

Background: ADHD is one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders. Despite the presence of evidence based approved diagnosing and treatment tools for ADHD, there still is an underdiagnoses and underutilization of these services. Untreated ADHD, unlike what some families may believe, doesn’t go away on its own, in fact, the condition may get worse with age, affecting more domains of the child’s life as an adolescent and later on as an adult. In addition, untreated ADHD impacts not only the patient, but also the family and the society as a whole. Objective: to investigate different routes that parents take before reaching the child and adolescence psychiatric services. And to further explore various reasons for any delay in seeking psychiatric help. In addition we aimed to estimate the duration of untreated ADHD before patients receive proper psychiatric service and treatment. Patients and Methods: A total of 350 cases were recruited in a cross sectional study that took place at the Child and Adolescence outpatient clinic at Abbassia mental health hospital in Cairo, Egypt. Results: Results showed that the average delay in seeking Child and Adolescence psychiatric service and the duration of untreated ADHD was 3±2 years. The majority of parents, 27.1%, first consulted pediatricians as regards to their child’s symptoms. The most commonly reported source of referral was school teachers in 23.1%. The most distressing symptom stated by 28.1% of parents was impulsivity. Stigma of mental illness was the most frequently reported reason for delay in reaching out for psychiatric service. Conclusion: we concluded that parents tend to take other routes through different professions before reaching Child and Adolescence Mental Health Services, this causes subsequent delay in receiving diagnosis and treatment for ADHD. In Addition, it was concluded that sociocultural beliefs affected parent’s pattern of help seeking.