Patient Characteristics Associated With the Need for Long-Term Treatment in a Child Psychiatry Hospital After the Earthquake in Mexico City.

Objective The aim of this study is to determine the demographic and clinical characteristics associated with the need for long-term treatment in a child psychiatry facility. Method Demographic characteristics, diagnosis, source of referral, time elapsed between the earthquake and the request for care, and the treatment prescribed in the baseline assessment were compared between a group of subjects that required long-term treatment (LTT) and a group that was discharged after a brief intervention (D). Results A total of 171 patients were seen, and 27% of the subjects required LTT. In general, these subjects were younger, referred from highly affected areas, presented a delay in seeking care, and were mainly diagnosed with anxiety and stress-related disorders. Conclusions These findings suggest the need for research regarding the design of mental health programs for the early detection of psychopathology after natural disasters in children and adolescents.