Objective: The aim of this study is to determine the demographic and clinical characteristics associated with the need for long-term treatment in a child psychiatry facility.
Method: Demographic characteristics, diagnosis, source of referral, time elapsed between the earthquake and the request for care, and the treatment prescribed in the baseline assessment were compared between a group of subjects that required long-term treatment (LTT) and a group that was discharged after a brief intervention (D).
Results: A total of 171 patients were seen, and 27% of the subjects required LTT. In general, these subjects were younger, referred from highly affected areas, presented a delay in seeking care, and were mainly diagnosed with anxiety and stress-related disorders.
Conclusions: These findings suggest the need for research regarding the design of mental health programs for the early detection of psychopathology after natural disasters in children and adolescents.
Keywords: children; earthquake; long-term treatment; mental health; natural disasters.