Under Recognition of Prenatal Alcohol Exposure in a Child Inpatient Psychiatric Setting

Prenatal alcohol exposure results in significant risk for psychiatric disorders, yet under recognition of exposed individuals in psychiatric settings may be common. A chart review was conducted on 130 consecutive admissions to the child psychiatry inpatient service at a large university medical center. Thirty percent of child inpatients had documented prenatal alcohol exposure and, within the exposed group, 26% met full criteria for fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS). None of the children had been diagnosed with FAS prior to admission. Children with prenatal alcohol exposure were more likely to be hospitalized for externalizing disorders compared to unexposed children. Prenatal alcohol exposure may represent a key risk factor for many children with externalizing psychiatric disorders. Keywords: child psychiatric diagnoses, developmental disability, fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS), intellectual disability, mental retardation, prenatal alcohol exposure, psychiatric disorder