The Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (DCAP)
provides psychological and psychiatric services for children and
adolescents up to 18 years of age. The vast majority of children
and adolescents seen by the department do not suffer from mental
illness. Most have emotional and behavioural problems that need
professional help.
The department runs a Child Guidance Clinic located at the Health
Promotion Board and at Clinic B, IMH. There is also a Child and
Adolescent Inpatient Unit at IMH/WH for inpatients.
Problems Seen
We provide assessment and treatment for the following:
Behavioural problems e.g. lying, stealing, aggressiveness,
destructiveness, disobedience, overactivity
Emotional problems e.g. depression, school refusal, fears
Adjustment reactions e.g. school related problems, grief
Development disorders e.g. speech and language delays, autism,
learning difficulties, bedwetting and soiling
Mental retardation
Psychosomatic disorders
Bizarre and abnormal behaviours
Relationship (including parent-child, sibling and marital)
problems
Sociolegal issues and problems e.g. child custody assessment,
sexual offences, child abuse and head injuries
Smoking addiction
Other e.g. eating and sleep disorders, sexual problems in
adolescence, tics (movement disorder) and stress reaction
