Child abuse

Child abuse has a lot of different aspects. The number of abused children is unknown but it is clear that there is a very high number of unreported cases. Every single person is requested to help to detect child abuse. The involvement of a specialized team is mandatory if the suspicion of abuse is raised. To go and handle such a case alone is not advisable. Theoretically child abuse could be hidden behind every injury. The suspicion should be raised if the history is not congruent with the pattern of the injuries or the stage of development of the child. Even more important then to identify and treat a abused child is to prevent the abuse. Therefore the psychosocial risk factor should be well known to intervene early enough to provide help to the notcoping caretakers.