Mental Health Concerns

Key Conditions

Key conditions are the core conditions that the Paediatric Undergraduate and Clerkship Directors of Canada (PUPDOC) felt are essential for graduating medical students to know. The Key Conditions are neither a differential diagnosis nor a clinical approach. They highlight conditions that may be unique to paediatrics, that are essential, or that are common. Key Conditions can present in a number of ways – each is listed as under the most common Clinical Presentation.

• Anxiety
• Depression
• School Refusal
• Suicide

Clinical Approach

Clinical approaches represent one of many methods to think through a clinical presentation, and narrow down a differential diagnosis. There are many conditions that can present with similar symptomatology. These presentations are not meant to contain an exhaustive list of differential diagnoses, but rather outline how to think through patient signs and symptoms, and understand some of the most common and important Paediatric conditions. There are many different ways to approach any clinical presentation, and these approaches are not meant to replace clinical judgement.

Pre-Clerkship

Lecture materials and small group cases are posted here for University of Calgary Cumming School of Medicine students. Access to these materials are password protected.

Clerkship

Lecture materials and small group cases are posted here for University of Calgary Cumming School of Medicine students. Access to these materials are password protected.

Objectives

By the end of the Paediatric Clerkship, a medical student will be able to:

1. List the features on history and physical examination that are consistent with depression and anxiety in children and youth.
2. Conduct a history to assess a patient’s risk of suicide.
3. Conduct a history to explore the reasons for school refusal.

Half Day Cases

• A 15 year old child has been admitted to the hospital following an overdose. Initially he had a reduced level of consciousness, but is now recovering from a medical stability standpoint. You are now asked to take a mental health history and assess their risk for self harm.
• A 14 year old is brought into your clinic. Parents are concerned that they have been refusing to attend school, and has generally had a low mood and a lack of interest in doing nay activities.

Resources

The following resources have been reviewed and collated by canuc-paeds. These resources are aimed to provide information at the level of the medical student. These include overviews of topics, clinical resources, and useful guidelines that contain relevant materials.