This page will feature recent research on various disorders in children,
teens, and young adults. Check back from time to time for updates.
Children Involved in Bullying More Likely to Consider Suicide by Age of 11
Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, March 2012
Astonishing and tragic news: Children who are bullies and those who are victims of bullying are more likely to consider suicide by time they are 11 than their peers. Researchers analyzed bullying among more than 6,000 children ranging in age from 4 to 10, and the prevalence of suicidal thoughts when the same children were 11 and 12. The study found that children who were bullied over a long period of time were six times more likely to have suicidal thoughts than children who weren’t bullied. Those who were bullies were also at increased risk for self-harm and suicidal thoughts, but the findings were not as consistent for this group, researchers said.
Children with Depression at Increased Risk for Bullying
Journal of Child Development, February 2012
Children with depression are at increased risk for bullying. The researchers analyzed data collected from 486 children from 4th to 6th grade and found that being depressed in fourth grade predicted bullying in fifth grade, and lack of peer acceptance in sixth grade. Previous studies that tried to determine whether bullying causes depression or whether depressed kids become magnets for bullies have produced conflicting results.
Men Who Were Bullies as Kids More Likely to Be Abusive as Adults
HealthDay News, June 2011
Men who bullied others during childhood are more likely to abuse wives and girlfriends when they grow up, a new study asserts. Researchers surveyed 1,491 men aged 18 to 35 who visited three urban community health centers. More than 40 percent of the men said they’d bullied other kids as children, and 16 percent reported abusing the women in their lives in the past year. Of those who had recently abused women, 38 percent said they had frequently bullied others when they were kids. Among men who had not been abusive in the past year, just 12 percent had been frequent bullies as kids.
Bipolar children are more easily bored than other children… (Very good article)
…which can lead to attention-getting behaviors such as teasing or emotional outbursts. They also lack focus and have other symptoms that look like ADHD. This excellent article provides information about why this happens, and offers practical advice for parents on how to manage this exasperating behavior.
Bipolar children more easily bored
Parental Depression Linked to Children’s Behavior, Emotional Problems
Pediatrics, November 2011
Paternal depression and other mental health problems affect the behavior of children, researchers say. An analysis of surveys of nearly 22,000 U.S. children aged 5 to 17, and their mothers and fathers, found that emotional and behavioral problems were 72 percent more likely with depressed dads. Only 6% of children with two mentally healthy parents have serious emotional or behavioral problems, but the rate increases to 11 % if the father is depressed, 19% if the mother is depressed and 25% if both parents are depressed. A mothers’ mental health may be more influential because they often spend more time with the children than fathers.
Mental Health Conditions among the Five Most Treated Medical Conditions in Children
News and Numbers, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, December 2011
Mental health conditions—along with acute bronchitis, asthma, trauma-related disorders, middle-ear infections—was among the five most commonly treated medical problems among children in 2008, according to the Agency for Healthcare Research Quality. More than 40 percent of the nation’s children age 17 and younger were treated for at least one of those conditions. Mental health conditions were the fifth most commonly treated condition (5 million children) and had the highest treatment cost—an average of $2,483 per child.
Medicare paid the largest share of treatment costs for mental disorders (46 percent), while private insurance paid the largest share for the treatment of middle-ear infections (64 percent), trauma (62 percent) and bronchitis (55 percent).
Binge Drinking Harmful to Brain Development
Alcoholism-Clinical and Experimental Research, July 2011
Binge drinking can have a long-lasting negative effect on the brains of teenagers, researchers say. And girls may be especially susceptible. Researchers interviewed 95 teenagers on substance use and conducted neuropsychological testing along with brain scans to test working memory. According to the news release, drinking-related impairments in spatial working memory can affect the following:
- Driving
- Figural reasoning, such as geometry
- Sports, specifically remembering and enacting complex plays
- Reading maps
- Remembering directions or routes
They found that teen girls who were heavy drinkers had less brain activation in several areas of their brains than other girls their age that didn’t drink. Teenage boys who drank excessively displayed some changes compared to those who didn’t drink, but it was less than among girls.
Pesticides May Increase Risk of ADHD in Children
Pediatrics, May 2010
Children exposed to common pesticides used on fruits and vegetables could have a higher risk of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), a new study has found. Researchers looked at a sample of 1,139 children between 8 and 15 years old, and measures of pesticide compounds, known as organophosphates, in their urine. Kids with higher-than-average levels of the compound were about twice as likely to have ADHD as kids with undetectable levels of the compound. The study does not prove pesticides cause ADHD, but the link is significant, researchers say.
12-Year Olds Abusing Inhalants
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), 2010
More 12-year-olds have used inhalants to get high than marijuana, cocaine and hallucinogens combined, according to a new report. Using statistics from 2006-2008 national surveys, SAMHSA found that almost seven percent of 12-year-olds report sniffing inhalants, compared to 1.4 percent who say they’ve used marijuana, 0.7 percent who’ve used hallucinogens, and 0.1 percent who’ve used cocaine. About five percent reported using prescription drugs for non-medical reasons. Inhalants include aerosol computer cleaners, glue, hair sprays, paint solvents and gasoline. When sniffed, the inhalants can cause addiction or sudden death from cardiac arrest.
More U.S. kids in hospital for mental illness
Archives of General Psychiatry Aug 2011
American kids are increasingly likely to be admitted to the hospital for mental problems, although rates of non-psychiatric hospitalizations have remained flat. From 1996 to 2007, the rate of psychiatric hospital discharges rose by more than 80 percent for 5-13-year-olds and by 42 percent for older teens.”This occurs despite numerous efforts to make outpatient services for the more vulnerable kids more widely available,” said Joseph C. Blader of Stony Brook State University of New York, “hospitalization is the last resort, because it’s so disruptive for normal life.
Overall, short-term hospital admissions for mental illness rose from 156 to 283 per 100,000 children per year over the ten-year study period, based on data from the National Hospital Discharge Survey. For adolescents, the rate increased from 683 to 969 per 100,000, while it went up from 921 to 996 for adults.
Although there have been concerns about over diagnosis of bipolar disorder and other mental problems among children, Blader said that was unlikely to be hiking the rates. That’s because hospitalizations are based on whether or not people are considered a danger to themselves or others, not on psychiatric labels.
