Paediatric neuropsychiatry: An evolving field

Abstract

Background: Paediatric neuropsychiatry is an emerging and evolving field of psychiatry with limited clinical expertise or research evidence compared to adult neuropsychiatry. Objectives: This session aims to provide an overview of a unique service provided at the Queensland Children's Hospital in Brisbane. Methods: A brief overview of the service model will be discussed. Some interesting cases (anonymised) will be presented to illustrate types of cases seen in the clinic. Findings: The paediatric neuropsychiatry clinic is run through the paediatric neurology department at the Queensland Children's Hospital with the support of one of the paediatric neurologists. Examples of pathologies seen in this clinic include paediatric acute onset neuropsychiatric syndrome/paediatric acute onset neuropsychiatric syndrome associated with streptococcus, autoimmune encephalitis and other paediatric neuropsychiatric disorders. There are several research initiatives underway including a retrospective cohort study examining 12-month outcomes in children with anti-N-methyl-D-aspartatereceptor encephalitis and a double-blind, randomised controlled trial of cannabidiol in children with treatmentresistant Tourette's disorder. Conclusions: Paediatric neuropsychiatry is a relatively new, but increasingly important, field of psychiatry. A service like the paediatric neuropsychiatry clinic is likely to be of significant value in any tertiary hospital.L6351890042021-06-10 <br />