Leading researchers urge reunion of child psychiatry and neurology for better care

A group of renowned international experts at the Gillberg Neuropsychiatry Centre, University of Gothenburg, Sweden, University of Glasgow, United Kingdom and Georgetown University, USA, is calling for an end to a century-long divide between child psychiatry and child neurology, arguing that separating the two has harmed diagnosis and treatment for young patients.

Writing in the journal Acta Paediatrica, the researchers say it’s time to reunite the fields to better understand and treat children whose symptoms often span both the mind and the brain.

“We need to bridge the gap between Child Psychiatry and Paediatrics so that children can receive truly comprehensive care,” said Professor Christopher Gillberg of the Gillberg Neuropsychiatry Centre at Gothenburg University, one of the article’s co-authors.

A historical split with real consequences

The divide dates back to the early 1900s when Sigmund Freud, trained as a neurologist, proposed that dreams and other behaviours were purely psychological. Although he later acknowledged that mental processes had biological roots, medicine continued to treat neurology and psychiatry as separate worlds.

That separation, Professor Christopher Gillberg argues, has left children bouncing between specialists. “Many neurological disorders show psychiatric symptoms,” they write, pointing to conditions like Fragile X syndrome, cerebral palsy, and epilepsy — all of which may include autism, ADHD, or intellectual disabilities.

Overlapping disorders demand unified care

The researchers cite extensive evidence that many medical and developmental conditions overlap. For example, children with ADHD are more likely to have other neurological or health problems, ranging from sleep and metabolic issues to higher risks of suicide.

Similarly, children with obesity may also have undiagnosed ADHD or intellectual disabilities, creating a cycle of challenges that go unnoticed when doctors focus on just one side of the problem.

Hidden pain and missed diagnoses

In one cited study, three out of four young women diagnosed with ADHD or autism reported chronic pain in adulthood. Another Swedish study found that more than half of children aged 10–11 with ADHD symptoms experienced weekly pain — far higher than their peers.

Such findings suggest that pain and psychiatric symptoms are often intertwined, yet rarely addressed together.

Bridging the divide

The authors propose closer collaboration between child psychiatrists and neuropaediatricians, arguing that “all children with neuropsychiatric or neurodevelopmental conditions need medical workups and ongoing follow-up.”

They also highlight complex conditions like Paediatric Acute-Onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome (PANS) — a sudden inflammatory disorder that requires input from psychiatry, neurology, immunology, and rheumatology.

“The brain has been divided between specialities for far too long,” Professor Gillberg concludes. “It’s time to bring them back together.”

A call for holistic medicine

The paper’s authors — Mary Coleman (Georgetown University), Elisabeth Fernell (University of Gothenburg), Christopher Gillberg (University of Gothenburg/Glasgow University), Maria Råstam (Lund University/University of Gothenburg), and Helen Minnis (University of Glasgow/University of Gothenburg) — emphasise that merging disciplines isn’t just about efficiency; it’s about better outcomes for children.

Their message is simple: to help young patients thrive, medicine must treat the brain as one — not two — organs.

Text by Anna Spyrou, Communications Officer

Link to publication: Coleman M, Fernell E, Råstam M, Minnis H, Gillberg C. Child Psychiatry and Child Neurology Need to Come Together. Acta Paediatr. 2025 Nov;114(11):2806-2807. doi: 10.1111/apa.70254. Epub 2025 Jul 25. PMID: 40714939; PMCID: PMC12520268.