Primary Care Perspectives: Mental Health and Congenital Heart Disease: A Review - Episode 142

Primary Care Perspectives: Podcast for Pediatricians

Children born with congenital heart disease (CHD), the most common birth defect in the U.S., are at greater risk for emotional and behavioral health concerns. Lyla El-Messidi Hampton, PhD, ABPP-CN, pediatric neuropsychologist and co-director of the Cardiac Kids Developmental Follow-up Program at CHOP, and Nicholas Seivert, PhD, psychologist in the Cardiac Center at CHOP, review the many reasons for increased mental health risk among children with heart defects, especially single ventricle patients, and provide information about: importance of early identification and intervention; ADHD meds for CHD patients; the higher rate of autism spectrum disorders in this population; the parental distress loop; screening in primary care, and red flags; places to refer at CHOP; and more.