Beyond depression and anxiety in pediatric primary care: Current insights from the collaborative care model

Abstract

Collaborative Care is well accepted as an evidence-based model to manage depression and anxiety in pediatric primary care. However, symptoms of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), traumatic stress, and grief are common in primary care and can also be identified by pediatricians and treated within this model. Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is the most common childhood-onset neurodevelopmental disorder with a prevalence of 10.2 %.¹ Trauma-spectrum disorders are another cluster of disorders that will often be seen first by the pediatrician, and, potentially, only by the pediatrician. In some urban pediatric centers, the rate of children who have been exposed to traumatic events is as high as 90 %.² Similarly, symptoms of grief are often first identified by the pediatrician. Considering that the COVID-19 pandemic alone has claimed >760,000 parents, custodial grandparents, and other caregivers to children in the US, the number of children and teenagers affected by trauma and loss overwhelms the mental health care system's capacity. In light of the shortage of child and adolescent psychiatrists in the United States and the increased demand for mental health services, it is essential to broaden the scope of what collaborative care initiatives can accomplish in pediatrics. This paper shares insights from a collaborative care model implemented in a New York City safety net hospital center to illustrate how ADHD, traumatic stress, and grief can be identified and managed in pediatric primary care. Lastly, we will discuss the potential for collaborative care models to increase access to care for immigrant families.