This study is a result of the reflection on the historical meaning of the high juvenile claim on mental health care in public health care units. Through literature about childhood subject, we attempted to recover aspects concerning to its formation since social production. We point out the existence of a childhood crisis - while historical category - in post modern times and we emphasise the presence of some breaks in that childhood reflection. When referring to all children as "children as a whole"4, we deny that most of them are treated as "children by themselves", for instance, just by their biological maturation. We identified that such crisis in "children by themselves"5 - from working classes - does not belong exclusively to the post-modern times.
Childhood; Juvenile mental health; Public health care