Child and adolescent psychological disorder
Although it is sometimes assumed that childhood and adolescence are times of carefree bliss, as
many as 20% of children and adolescents have one or more diagnosable mental disorders. Most of
these disorders may be viewed as exaggerations or distortions of normal behaviors and emotions.
Like adults, children and adolescents vary in temperament. Some are shy and reticent; others are
socially exuberant. Some are methodical and cautious; others are impulsive and careless. Whether
a child is behaving like a typical child or has a disorder is determined by the presence of
impairment and the degree of distress related to the symptoms. For example, a 12-yr-old girl may
be frightened by the prospect of delivering a book report in front of her class. This fear would
be viewed as social anxiety disorder only if her fears were severe enough to cause significant
distress and avoidance.
There is much overlap between the symptoms of many disorders and the challenging behaviors and
emotions of normal children. Thus, many strategies useful for managing behavioral problems in
children (see Overview of Behavioral Problems in Children: Treatment) can also be used in
children who have mental disorders. Furthermore, appropriate management of childhood behavioral
problems may decrease the risk of temperamentally vulnerable children developing a full-blown
disorder. Also, effective treatment of some disorders (eg, anxiety) during childhood may
decrease the risk of mood disorders later in life.
The most common mental disorders of
childhood and adolescence fall into the following categories:
- Anxiety disorders
- Mood disorders (eg, depression, bipolar disorder)
- Disruptive behavioral disorders (eg, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder [ADHD])
- Schizophrenia and related disorders are much less common.
However, more often than not, children and adolescents have symptoms and problems that cut
across diagnostic boundaries. For example, > 25% of children with ADHD also have an anxiety
disorder, and 25% meet the criteria for a mood disorder.