NEW YORK – Psychiatrists and primary care providers who care for the mental health needs of children and adolescents can find research-driven online tools to help.
The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) has a wealth of free information available to these physicians – whether they want to integrate mental health services into their practices or simply stay current on the latest research and medications.
The online tool kits contain everything from psychiatric rating scales and expert videos to handouts for parents and children, Dr. Laurence Greenhill said at the AACAP’s 2012 psychopharmacology update.
All of the materials are backed by the most current data, eliminating the confusion of conflicting online information, said Dr. Greenhill, a child and adolescent psychiatrist who practices in New York. "These distill the elements of our work into a form that answers parents’ questions in an understandable way and refers them to websites we can approve. There is so much controversial information out there that families are often confused, and [such confusion] makes it much more difficult to counsel" them.
The online resources represent a long collaboration with the American Psychiatric Association, he said. All are readily available, even to nonmembers, and the AACAP will launch more in the coming year.
The following are some of the resources that are available for physicians:
• Compendium of rating scales. These include parent and teacher behavior rating scales, a current symptom rating scale, and the Johns Hopkins Depression Index (http://www.aacap.org/cs/clinical_care_quality_improvement/rating_scales).
• Clinical practice webinars. These include webinars on child welfare, working with the education system, and partnering with the AACAP (http://www.aacap.org/cs/business_of_practice/practice_webinars).
• Continuing medical education courses. These courses on attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), including video, are taught by nationally recognized experts in the field, and are free of charge (http://www.aacap.org/cs/onlinecme).
• Clinical practice forms. These include HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) releases, medication records, school medication release, and progress notes (http://www.aacap.org/cs/business_of_practice/practice_forms_hipaa_disclosures).
• Reimbursement information. This includes the CPT codes and a training seminar (http://www.aacap.org/cs/root/member_information/practice_information/cpt_codes_information_and_module).
• Calculators. Body mass index percentile and z scores are important for tracking both decreased growth in the presence of stimulant medication and excess weight gain in the presence of antidepressants and antipsychotics (http://www.bcm.edu/cnrc/bodycomp/bmiz2.html).
• Links to growth charts. These include the World Health Organization’s growth charts for infants, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s growth chart for children aged 2 years and older (http://www.cdc.gov/growthcharts/).
The following is a listing of resources that are available for patients:
• "Facts for Families." This comprehensive handbook contains parent-friendly information on childhood psychiatric disorders. Handout is available in English, Spanish, Malaysian, Polish, Icelandic, Arabic, Urdu, and Hebrew (http://www.aacap.org/cs/root/facts_for_families/facts_for_families).
• Medication guides. These are aimed at parents of children with ADHD, depression, and bipolar disorder (http://www.parentsmedguide.org/).
Dr. Greenhill disclosed that he has received research support from Rhodes Pharmaceuticals and Shire Pharmaceuticals Inc.