Mental disorders in children and teenagers
Although it is sometimes assumed that childhood and teenage are worry-free stages, up to 20% of children and adolescents have one or more diagnosable mental disorders. Most of these disorders can be considered an exaggeration or distortions of normal behaviors and emotions.
Several important mental health disorders, such as depression, anxiety disorders, and eating disorders, begin frequently during childhood and adolescence. Schizophrenia usually begins sometime between mid-adolescence and early adulthood (mid-thirties). Other disorders, such as autism, only begin during childhood.
With some exceptions, the symptoms of mental health disorders tend to be similar to the feelings that every child experiences, such as sadness, anger, distrust, emotion, withdrawal, and loneliness. The difference between a disorder and a normal feeling is the point at which the feeling acquires such an intense and overwhelming strength that it affects the normal development of the activities of the child’s daily life or makes him suffer.
Therefore, doctors should use a significant degree of common sense to determine when some particular thoughts and emotions cease to be a normal childhood component to become a disorder.
Disruptive behavioral disorders mainly affect behavior. Inappropriate behavior is not intentional, but it can annoy others, including teachers, classmates and family members. These disorders include
- Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) (the most frequent)
- Challenging Negativist Disorder
- Less frequently, dissociative disorder
Neurodevelopmental disorders affect both mental health and the overall development of affected children. These disorders include
- Autism Spectrum Disorders
- Rett syndrome
- Fragile X chromosome syndrome
- DiGeorge syndrome
- Mitochondrial disorders
Autism spectrum disorders can lead to a combination of difficulties in social relationships, a narrow spectrum of interests, anomalous development and use of language and, sometimes, intellectual disability.
Rett syndrome, a genetic disorder, causes some similar symptoms, including difficulties in social skills and communication.
Diagnosis
- Observation
- Sometimes specialized interview and evaluation tools
There is no test to confirm the diagnosis of a mental health disorder. To determine the presence of a mental disorder, doctors rely on: the interview with the child or adolescent, the observations of the parents and teachers and the observations made during the consultation.
Sometimes doctors refer the child to a mental health professional who is trained to diagnose and treat mental health disorders in children and adolescents. These professionals can use interview and evaluation tools specially designed to value the child.
Doctors may indicate blood tests to detect neurodevelopmental disorders, such as fragile X chromosome syndrome, Rett syndrome and DiGeorge syndrome.
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