The first child guidance clinic was organized in India in 1936 at Mumbai and since then a small number of child guidance clinics have been brought into existence in some of the larger cities. Child psychiatry has been an important discipline at Central Institute of Psychiatry, Ranchi. A child guidance clinic was started in 1950 at Ranchi city by CIP and an independent 50-bed child psychiatry unit started in 1975 in the premises of the Institute. Gradual increase in patient load in the hospital made CPU loose its building to cater the need for growing outpatient services. But again an independent building consisting of eleven rooms around thirty feet by twenty feet courtyard was provided to render services to the childhood and adolescent population. There are sixteen beds for the patients besides two cottages which can accommodate 3 patients each with their relatives. Besides the Doctor’s room and a Nursing station we have a playroom as well. In the garden out side the building there are a number of swings, slips and seesaws for the children.

The clinical team consists of one consultant psychiatrist, two senior residents, three junior residents, two clinical psychologists, one PhD scholar, two psychiatric social workers, and about a dozen of nurses. Our OPD runs six days a week and senior resident or the consultant is responsible to see the follow-up cases coming to the child guidance clinic every day. The average number of patients seen every day in OPD is 20. The OPD service consists of psychological evaluation, assessment, counseling, parental psycho-education, individual psychotherapy and pharmacological interventions. We follow a multidisciplinary approach in the management of all the admitted cases. Admitted patients consist of affective disorders, schizophrenia, OCD, Mental Retardation, Autism, and ADHD.

We provide a comprehensive assessment and care for all the patients admitted to our unit. The parents are required to stay with their children for the duration of the treatment. Apart from drug therapy various psychotherapies, behavior therapy, group therapy and family therapy are routinely employed. This unit also imparts training to resident doctors and postgraduate students in the field of child and adolescent mental health. A milieu therapy approach exists where patients participate in running the ward and help in looking after other patients. Regular physical exercise, outdoor and indoor games and Yoga are practiced in the ward. Awareness programme are conducted in various schools. Our CPU also organizes school mental heath programme in different schools in the state of Jharkhand. The unit also contributes significantly to scientific publication in various journals and books.