A survey conducted by Philadelphia Citizens for Children and Youth has found area pediatricians are facing difficulties in addressing children’s mental health needs.

The survey was conducted among 101 pediatricians from the Pennsylvania chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics database.

It revealed 40 percent of respondents believed they are seeing an increase in the number of children with behavioral health needs in their practice.

According to the survey’s results, 75 percent of the respondents said they did not have enough time to screen for mental health issues during regular appointments and 57 percent reported not having enough knowledge to diagnose or treat many common children’s behavioral problems.

“The fact that pediatricians lack time and adequate training to address their patients mental health issues is particularly disturbing because it is widely recognized that the number of children identified as having mental health issues has increased markedly in the last 10 years,” said PCCY Health Director Alisa Simon in a release.

“To better serve children, it is essential that pediatricians get more basic training in behavioral health.”

Daniel R. Taylor, a pediatrician at St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children and assistant professor at the Drexel University College of Medicine has seen an increase in the number of patients who are in need of mental health care. As a pediatrician who sees an average of 24 patients daily, Taylor said he does not have the time to manage his patient’s mental health issues.

When asked what they believe are the biggest obstacles for children accessing behavioral health services 30 percent of the pediatricians said long waiting lists, while 33 percent said that there were not enough providers to treat children.

“It’s very difficult for us to get psychiatric providers in Philadelphia,” Tayler said. “When we do find providers there really is not communication between the pediatrician and the psychiatrist. We kind of depend on the parents telling us what is happening.”

He noted many pediatricians might not feel comfortable treating behavioral health issues such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in conjunction with more complicated issues like bipolar disorder, depression and post-traumatic stress syndrome due to lack of adequate training.

Forty-one percent of the respondents indicated that they received minimal or no training on the management of childhood behavioral health problems while only two respondents state that they received comprehensive training during residency.

The report cited a 2002 survey of three-year general pediatric residency programs, conducted by The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia that found 94 percent offered fewer than five class sessions per year on mental health topics.

In its report, PCCY’s recommendations include expanding the provider network for children, better preparation for pediatricians to screen, diagnose and treat children with behavioral health needs, providing incentives to co-locate behavioral health and physical health services, and exploring ways to improve communication between physical and behavioral health care providers.

Agency officials also recommend that physical health care providers be reimbursed for diagnosing and treating behavioral health problems in children and adolescents.

Founded in 1990, PCCY is the region’s leading child advocacy organization.

Next year, the agency plans to follow this report up with an analysis of the results of a survey of parents who have sought mental health services for their children in the city.