The authors conducted a study of 30 hospitalized children who were
referred for psychiatric consultation and 60 hospitalized children who were
not. They studied the medical charts of these children and administered a
questionnaire including a checklist of behavioral symptoms to their
parents. More psychopathology was found in the children referred for
consultation, but about 20 percent of the children not referred also showed
a high degree of psychopathology. Factors found to be associated with
referral for psychiatric consultation were older age, longer hospital stay,
many previous hospitalizations, and ambiguous diagnoses.Abstract Teaser