Child Psychology
Strategy for mental health vital
Autism, Child Abuse and Child Psychology: Government Committee to study increasing specialists.
"... A 2002 sampling by the Education, Science and Technology Ministry of about 40,000 primary and middle school students in five locations around the country revealed that 6.3 percent of the children might suffer from a developmental disorder, such as autism or attention deficit disorder.
"Nearly 20 percent of children--including delinquents, kids that don't go to school, and in particular, children who are abused--could be in need of some sort of emotional support," one specialist said.
There are, however, no clear regulations for becoming a child psychologist. Many of those making diagnoses are psychologists who are concerned with children's issues or pediatricians well versed in psychiatry.
The reality, according to the health ministry, is "it [child psychology] lies in a gap between pediatric medicine and psychiatry, and is a very shorthanded field."
Makiko Okuyama, psychiatric consultant at the National Center for Child Health and Development in Setagaya Ward, Tokyo, says it takes between one and 1-1/2 hours for the first medical examination of children that cannot express themselves.
There are many cases in which doctors can get a clear picture of what is wrong with children by watching them play. But, Okuyama said, "There are few instances in which it [the examination] is covered by insurance."
Treating these child patients also has a larger psychological burden.
In the case of a child who carries emotional scars from being abused, the psychiatrist may have to deal with the parents or recommend the child be temporarily taken into protective custody.
A law to support the developmentally disabled that went into effect in April puts the onus on the central and local governments to provide medical and welfare services, including a guarantee that there will be an appropriate number of specialists.
Also, a revised child-abuse prevention law that took effect in October makes support of abused children the government's responsibility.
Taking this trend into consideration, the ministry established in March an investigative committee made up of pediatricians and psychiatrists. The committee plans to submit a proposal by April on how to increase the number of specialists in the field.
While fostering child psychiatrists is a pressing issue, it is important to first think of what can be done to help children in need of psychological support. To do so, such measures must extend into regional communities, ensuring doctors assigned to examine children have specialist knowledge in child abuse and developmental disorders..."
Yomiuri Shimbun,
Autism, Child Abuse and Child Psychology: Government Committee to study increasing specialists.
"... A 2002 sampling by the Education, Science and Technology Ministry of about 40,000 primary and middle school students in five locations around the country revealed that 6.3 percent of the children might suffer from a developmental disorder, such as autism or attention deficit disorder.
"Nearly 20 percent of children--including delinquents, kids that don't go to school, and in particular, children who are abused--could be in need of some sort of emotional support," one specialist said.
There are, however, no clear regulations for becoming a child psychologist. Many of those making diagnoses are psychologists who are concerned with children's issues or pediatricians well versed in psychiatry.
The reality, according to the health ministry, is "it [child psychology] lies in a gap between pediatric medicine and psychiatry, and is a very shorthanded field."
Makiko Okuyama, psychiatric consultant at the National Center for Child Health and Development in Setagaya Ward, Tokyo, says it takes between one and 1-1/2 hours for the first medical examination of children that cannot express themselves.
There are many cases in which doctors can get a clear picture of what is wrong with children by watching them play. But, Okuyama said, "There are few instances in which it [the examination] is covered by insurance."
Treating these child patients also has a larger psychological burden.
In the case of a child who carries emotional scars from being abused, the psychiatrist may have to deal with the parents or recommend the child be temporarily taken into protective custody.
A law to support the developmentally disabled that went into effect in April puts the onus on the central and local governments to provide medical and welfare services, including a guarantee that there will be an appropriate number of specialists.
Also, a revised child-abuse prevention law that took effect in October makes support of abused children the government's responsibility.
Taking this trend into consideration, the ministry established in March an investigative committee made up of pediatricians and psychiatrists. The committee plans to submit a proposal by April on how to increase the number of specialists in the field.
While fostering child psychiatrists is a pressing issue, it is important to first think of what can be done to help children in need of psychological support. To do so, such measures must extend into regional communities, ensuring doctors assigned to examine children have specialist knowledge in child abuse and developmental disorders..."
Yomiuri Shimbun,
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