Diagnostic profiles, comorbidity, and service utilization in child and adolescent psychiatry: Comparing single- and multi-center follow-up

Child and adolescent psychiatric disorders represent a substantial global health burden, and continuity of care is often undermined by fragmented service use and poor follow-up. In Turkey, little is known about how multi-center follow-up influences diagnostic distribution, comorbidity, treatment patterns, and service utilization. This retrospective chart review included 3,511 patients (0–18 years) evaluated at a tertiary-level child and adolescent psychiatry outpatient clinic in Turkey during January 2024. Data extracted from electronic records included sociodemographic features, referral type, presenting complaints, DSM-5 diagnoses, comorbidities, psychotropic use, adverse effects, socioeconomic status, and follow-up recommendations. Patients were categorized as single-center (exclusive follow-up at the study site) or multi-center (concurrent or prior follow-up in another clinic). Among 3,511 patients (1,769 single-center; 1,742 multi-center), multi-center patients were older (10.8 vs 9.8 years; p