Appropriate healthcare and psychological support for children and adolescents is essential for the successful development and good mental health. Unfortunately, this is often a neglected element in the healthcare systems around the world. It is known that approximately half of all adult psychiatric disorders start under the age of 14 and that the prevalence of child and adolescent-onset psychiatric conditions is increasing. The real reason for this increase remains unclear but it demands our attention as does the care of affected children, adolescents and their families. Transitions between different age groups need to be made easily navigable for the patients and their families. Many challenges in child and adolescent psychiatry are present, especially in developing countries such as in Serbia. A possible solution for overcoming these challenges is uniting of child and adolescent professional societies from all over the world. These societies should work together to develop unified strategies for diagnosis, treatment and support of children affected by psychiatric conditions. By working closely with pediatricians, family physicians, psychologists, nurses and other professionals, child and adolescent psychiatry can use knowledge and skills to support practice while teaching other professionals how to optimize the utilization of child and adolescent psychiatry services

Background/ObjectiveA lack of appropriately evaluated medicines for paediatric population is a major problem as it often leads to inadequate treatment of children. The aim of this study was to investigate the availability of paediatric formulations labelled for children up to the age of 12 years old in Serbia in 2013, as well as the availability of paediatric medicines reimbursed by the Republic Health Insurance Fund (RFZO). The availability of paediatric formulations in Serbia is also compared with the ‘Model List of Essential Medicines for Children’ by World Health Organization's (WHO).MethodsSources of information about medicines were: the Summary of Product Characteristics (SmPc), RFZO Drug Lists, WHO Model Lists of Essential Medicines for Children, and Serbia's official drug registry, editions 2013.ResultsIn Serbia only 49% (496) of INN drugs were suitable for children of which only 66% were licensed for paediatric use. Majority of licensed drugs were parenteral formulations, 57%, followed by drugs for local use, 28%, and formulations for oral use, 23%. The lowest availability of medicines was for children 0–27 days old. From the total number of licensed medicines for children up to 12 years old, the Republic Fund for Health Insurance covers 64% of drugs and from each therapeutic group at least one medicine is reimbursed by fund. The availability of WHO essential medicines for children in Serbia was 51%, from which 92% were licensed for paediatric use.ConclusionOur study showed that from already unsatisfactory number of available drugs for children only 66% is licensed. Limited availability of paediatric medicines for all ages of this population and for a broad range of therapeutic areas still represents a cause for concern in our country.

BackgroundIntervention programs for children with developmental disabilities increasingly target caregiver training to implement effective strategies for child development. Research conducted in different countries shows that the Caregiver Skills Training Program (CST) developed by the World Health Organization and Autism Speaks could also be a recommended intervention.MethodsThe pre-pilot phase included seven, and the pilot phase included 29 families of children with developmental disabilities trained to implement the intervention program. The caregivers were asked to complete the Autism Treatment Evaluation Checklist at the beginning and at the end of the program.ResultsIn the pre-pilot phase, the Wilcoxon signed-rank test determined a statistically significant improvement in Speech, Language and Communication (z = −2.99, p < 0.05) and Health/Physical/Behavior (z = −2.375, p < 0.05) after caregiver participation in the training program. In the pilot phase, the paired t-test also determined a statistically significant improvement in Speech, Language and Communication between the first (M = 24.52, SD = 5.57) and the second testing (M = 25.66, SD = 6.11), t(28) = −2.29, p < 0.05, as well as a significant improvement between the first (M = 36.62; SD = 7.15) and the second testing (M = 35.38; SD = 5.91), t(28) = 2.11, p < 0.05 in Health/Physical/Behavior. Eta squared values (0.16 and 0.14) indicate that the intervention effect was significant. No differences were determined in Sociability and Sensory/Cognitive Awareness between the first and the second testing.ConclusionThe initial results of the Caregiver Skills Training Program are encouraging. For this program to be recommended as an evidence-based intervention, further research should be conducted on larger samples, controlling possible intervening variables.

Apstrakt: U današnje vreme postoje televizijski kanali koji emituju crtane filmove celodnevno, bez prestanka. Gledanje crtanih filmova može imati i pozitivan i negativan efekat na razvoj i ponašanje dece kako tipičnog razvoja, tako i dece sa smetnjama u razvoju. Nekoliko decenija unazad majke su više boravile u svojim kućama, a deca okružena širom porodicom, mnogo više vremena provodila u aktivnostima napolju. Danas deca više ostaju kod kuće, bez pravog nadzora odraslih koji su zauzeti sopstvenim obavezama, a glavna zabava je gledanje televizije/crtanih fiilmova kao i upotreba drugih vrsta medija. Svakodnevna izloženost sadržajima na TV i drugim "ekranima" (medijima) utiče na razvoj jezika, kognicije i pažnje kod dece tipičnog razvoja. Uticaji su još dublji kod dece koja se već suočavaju sa teškoćama u komunikaciji i socijalizaciji. Rezultati istraživanja pokazuju negativne efekte izloženosti sadržajima na TV i drugim ekranima na recipročnu interakciju majka-dete. Roditelji moraju obratiti pažnju na ponašanje dece, aktivnosti i sadržaje crtanih filmova stvaranjem ravnoteže u vremenu za gledanje crtanih filmova, i ostalih društvenih aktivnosti, iako resursi dostupni u crtanim filmovima mogu biti iskorišćeni u kontekstu učenja, posebno učenja socijalnih veština i veština samopomoći.

Introduction/Objective. COVID-19 pandemic caused many disruptions in the daily routines of children and adolescents, which might have influenced their mental health. This study aimed to examine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on self-harming behaviors, including non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) and suicide attempts in children and youth seeking psychiatric help. Methods. Retrospective, cross-sectional study was conducted, analyzing data from medical documentation of 1129 outpatients, aged between 10 and 18, who had their first psychiatric examination in the Institute of Mental Health in Belgrade, Serbia between March 1st 2019 and August 31st 2021. Frequency of NSSI and suicide attempt during the pandemic was compared to a one-year period before the pandemic. Results. Proportions of patients with NSSI were higher in both years during the pandemic (18.1%; 27.7%) compared to the year before (12.6%), especially in the second year of the pandemic, with a marked increase in March 2021. NSSI was more frequent in girls, older adolescents, those living in incomplete families and those with a history of abuse. No significant change in the frequency of suicide attempts related to the COVID-19 pandemic was found. Conclusion. Significant increase in the frequency of NSSI, markedly during the second year of the pandemic, especially in children and youth with additional factors of vulnerability, calls for further attention from both professionals and policymakers, as well as preventive measures for this vulnerable group during stressful times.