A Journey to the East: Child Psychiatry in Asia

摘要

The development of child mental health services in Asia is a recent one [ ] and, with some exceptions, is largely based on Western models of care. Organic support for children and their emotional needs originated through families and communities rather than in formal medical settings. With globalization and the increasing recognition of young people’s distress through mainstream and social media, the practice of child psychiatry is likely to receive more attention in medical schools and more doctors are likely to be trained. Most countries have recognized the classification systems of the World Health Organisation and the American Psychiatric Association in defining the medical construct of mental health disorders, and incorporating them into health, education, and social systems of care. This formalization of mental health services, even in low income countries, has meant that almost every country in Asia has psychiatrists, and some of them will work with young patients, although most do not do so exclusively. However, the numbers are still small, and sub-specialization in child psychiatry continues to be an issue. In Asia, the number of child psychiatrists for every 100000 children aged 14 years or younger ranges between 1.97 and 3.95 in more developed states and between 0.01 and 0.09 in developing ones [ ]. By comparison, Switzerland and Norway have the highest such numbers at 48.30 and 47.74, respectively. At present, Asia has 1.4 billion or approximately 56% of the global young population under the age of 19 [ ] – as countries develop and mature, mental health care for the young will become more apparent and critical.