Children being treated on pediatric wards may have co-existing psychiatric disorders that require psychiatric consultation, however, the range of this problem within Polish pediatric population has not been assessed.

The aim of this study is to analyze the reasons for psychiatric consultation in children admitted to pediatric wards of different specialties and to propose a model of application form as a useful tool in everyday clinical practice.

The medical records of 243 patients (164 girls and 79 boys) consulted by psychiatrists working at the Children's and Adolescent's Psychiatry Department at the Children's Hospital in Warsaw between 2007 and 2010 were analyzed. the specialty of the ward which directed the patients, the primary disease and the reason for consultation were analyzed.

The most frequent wards directed patients for consultation were Endocrinology, Nephrology and Out-Patient Department. the most frequent disorders were: substance abuse (21%), suicide attempt (17%), eating disorders (15%), depression (8%) and adaptive disorders (8%). there was no direct connection between the type of disorders and specialty of pediatric department.

The children directed for psychiatric consultation presented a variety of serious disorders but the substance abuse was the most frequent. in children, this type of behavior may be a symptom of other problems requiring further psychiatric consultation and treatment. the symptoms of the most important disorders were included into a new application form which should be available in all children hospitals and fulfilled by pediatricians before psychiatric consultation.