thE hEalth poliCy in Child and adolEsCEnt psyChiatry in hungary – a rEviEW of rECEnt dEvElopmEnts

Abstract

mental health problems affect 10–20% of the pediatric population worldwide, with the same prevalence in both the high-income countries (hiCs) and low-and-middle-income countries (lmiCs). hungary has a relatively high prevalence of psychiatric disorders in children aged 4-17 (15.8%). psychiatric problems in children are an important public health issue in all countries, as the early diagnosis is important not only for the current well-being of the child, but also for their social and economic development throughout their entire lifetime. this paper reviews the relevant health policy acts of the hungarian government that have been released during the previous 15 years. all governmental programs followed the current Who (World health organization) and European union guidelines, indicating the growing influence of the international organizations on the domestic health policy. What is interesting, earlier programs concentrated on local governments and actions, and more recent documents underline the responsibility and role of the state and central government. When analyzing the health policy documents concerning child and adolescent mental health services, a gap between the growing scientific knowledge and its implementation can be seen. the situation of the hungarian psychiatry has been worsening from 2006 in terms of the capacity of both the in- and outpatient care. hungary has yet to fulfill the aims of already existing programs in the day-to-day clinical practice.

Keywords

• child and adolescent psychiatry
• health policy
• health care
• hungary