Parents influence GP referral patterns

Children who suffer from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
are likely to be referred to specialist services if their parents
ask their GP to do so, the annual meeting of the Royal College of
Psychiatrists in Edinburgh was told this week.

New research has found that parents are the main “gatekeepers” for
access to child and adolescent mental health services, if GPs
identify that the child has a mental health disorder.

GPs’ failure to recognise such a disorder was the main barrier to
parents gaining access to specialist services.

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