Why is a psychologist available in a pediatrician’s office helpful?

Although one in five children in the United States suffers from a diagnosable mental health disorder, only 21 percent of affected children actually receive needed treatment, according to The American Academy of Pediatrics.

Mental well-being is a part of your child's overall health and the United States hasn't been adequately addressing these deficiencies. Fortunately, integrated medical-behavioral care has the potential to be the remedy.

There has been an increased focus on how to make the nation's healthcare system better across the lifespan. And new research released from JAMA Pediatrics earlier this week takes us a step further towards doing so by providing empirical evidence that integrated medical-behavioral care improves youth behavioral outcomes. In the study, better outcomes were found not just for one mental health issue, but across a variety of issues including "depression, anxiety, and behavior".

What is integrated care (sometimes called collaborative care)?  It is "team-based care in which PCPs (primary care physicians), care managers, and mental health specialists' work together to evaluate, treat, and monitor patient progress." Delivering care in an integrated care model can lead to better outcomes because parents know where to access services, they don't have to take time off of work to visit a different facility, and stigma for obtaining these services are reduced. Equally as important, the mental health provider, the pediatrician, and the parents all collaborate to create a care plan personalized for the child's needs.

The study found that interventions that targeted mental health and collaborative care reflected the highest probability youth would experience better outcomes.  While practices are engaging in this innovative model country-wide, it is far from widespread. This new analysis of the existing research provides evidence that can spread the implementation of integrated medical and behavioral care nationwide.

In this region, some of the Philadelphia clinics that are part of the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia's network offer evaluation and treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder by psychologists working with pediatricians in a program directed by Tom Power, PhD, ABPP.  In Delaware, Nemours Pediatrics now has psychologists in 10 of its outpatient primary care offices.

Consider this: you see your child's pediatrician for everything from runny noses and coughs to the occasional fall and scrape. It is most likely that you seek advice from your pediatrician about if your child is behaving as they should for their age, grieving appropriately over the loss of a family pet, or how to speak to your child about drug use. So for most children, social-emotional health is a concern for parents.

Integrated health brings the professionals with the expertise on behavior together with the pediatricians that parents trust. Integrated behavioral health specialists are also another point of support for parents to help them with the difficult, yet rewarding job of raising children.

Have you been hearing about integrated health and wondering when your pediatrician will start offering behavioral health at their office?

Here are some tips you can put into action today:

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