Aim:

The purpose of this study was to determine the sociodemographic characteristics, and distributions of symptom and psychiatric diagnoses in children and adolescents presenting to the Tekirdağ Namık Kemal University Child and Adolescent Psychiatry outpatient clinic.

Materials and Methods:

The records for 1221 children and adolescents presenting to the Tekirdağ Namık Kemal University Child and Adolescent Psychiatry outpatient clinic between August 2015 and April 2017 were reviewed retrospectively. Cases’ sociodemographic characteristics, psychiatric diagnoses resulting from clinical evaluations based on DSM-5 diagnostic criteria, and treatment information were examined.

Results:

The meanage of the cases included in the study was 9.45±4.42 years; 9.7% (n=119) were aged 0-3 years, 19.3% (n=236) 4-6, 37.7% (n=460) 7-12, and 33.3% (n=406) 13-19. Girls constituted 38.9% (n=475) of cases and boys 61.1% (n=746). The most common presentation symptoms were attention deficit/hyperactivity in 26.4% (n=322), irritability in 17.9% (n=218), and fears/anxieties in 12.3% (n=150). Seventy-seven percent of cases (n=940) received at least one psychiatric diagnosis as a result of evaluation, while at least two comorbid psychiatric diagnoses were present in 18.2% (n=222). The most common diagnoses were attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in 29.7% (n=363), anxiety disorder in 16.4% (n=200), and depressive disorder in 7.4% (n=90). At least one therapeutic option was recommended in 76.6% (n=935) of cases.

Conclusion:

Our findings will be useful in terms of revealing common diagnoses and symptoms by age and sex, and of understanding regional differences in the organization of polyclinic services.

Keywords: Child and adolescent psychiatry, psychiatric symptoms, psychiatric diagnosis