Download typical diagnoses associated with mental illness in children

TYPICAL PSYCHIATRIC DIAGNOSES ASSOCIATED
WITH CHILDREN and ADOLESCENTS
(From The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.)
The following are some of the common psychiatric diagnoses from DSMIV associated with children and adolescents. This list is designed to be a quick
reference of diagnostic terminology and not a diagnostic tool. Only qualified
mental health diagnosticians can diagnoses mental health disorders.
1. Affective Disorders - include the disorders of mood or feeling, bipolar and
childhood depressive disorder.
• Depression is diagnosed when there are feelings of sadness,
hopelessness, irritability, changes in eating and/or sleeping, loss of
energy, inability to concentrate, recurring thoughts of suicide.
• Bipolar Disorder (manic depression) involves mood swings from
extreme highs or mania to extreme lows or depression. Mania is marked
by irritability, hyperactivity, and impaired judgment. Children or
teenagers exhibit risk-taking behaviors and may even become psychotic.
2. Anxiety Disorders - is exaggerated anxiety, when there is no nothing to be
anxious about. Recent studies indicate that a biochemical imbalance is a
major cause for these disorders.
• Social Phobia - child fears social situations with unfamiliar people.
• OCD - Obsessive Compulsive Disorder refers to persistent and
recurring thoughts or behaviors that are intrusive and cause severe
anxiety and distress. Compulsions refer to repetitive behaviors like hand
washing, checking, hoarding or mental acts like counting and repeating
words quietly.
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Panic Disorder - by unexpected and repeated episodes of intense
fear accompanied by physical symptoms that may include chest pain,
heart palpitations, shortness of breath, dizziness, or abdominal distress.
• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) - occurs when a child
experiences an unexpected, shocking event, either first-hand, hearing
about, or watching it happen. Intense feelings of fear result and the
ability to cope are greatly affected. Symptoms include recurring,
distressing memories or dreams of the event, detachment from others,
and persistent irritability, lack of concentration, and hyper-vigilance.
(From The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.)
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• Separation Anxiety - when a child has intense anxiety, unpleasant
feeling or physical symptoms as a result of excessive fear of being
separated from home or from the person to whom the child is attached.
The child may worry to the point of having nightmares; refuse to go to
school or to sleep alone.
3. Eating Disorders
• Anorexia Nervosa - another eating disorder that we hear of more and
more today. It occurs when a child or teen refuses to maintain normal or
minimal (85%) body weight. This occurs more in females. They greatly
fear gaining weight even though they are well below the norm. Without
treatment this condition can become life threatening. Withdrawal,
depression, and irritability are common behavior changes.
• Bulimia Nervosa - occurs when a child or adolescent has multiple
episodes of binge eating and purging. They attempt to avoid weight gain
by vomiting, laxative abuse, enemas, use of diuretics, and fasting. Selfconcept is closely connected to body weight and shape for these
children. Severe medical conditions such as kidney failure or heart
arrhythmia can result.
4. Attention-Deficit and Disruptive Behavior Disorders - the most often
diagnosed category.
• Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is
characterized by a significant short attention span and overactivity.
These children act before thinking, are restless, and have trouble
concentrating. Cooperation with teachers and coaches is difficult.
Symptoms generally occur before age seven. Includes Combined Type,
Predominantly Inattentive, Predominantly Hyperactive-Impulsive Types.
• Conduct Disorder - when behavior breaches society’s moral
practices. Children can be aggressive and cruel to people and animals
and generally show no concern for the feelings and rights of others.
• Oppositional Defiant Disorder - the disruptive behavior is not as
severe as those with Conduct Disorder and typically does not involve
cruelty to animals or destruction of property.
(From The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.)
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6.
Pervasive Development Disorder - a disorder that occurs when a child's
brain cannot process information properly and the child exhibits thought
distortions and developmental delays. Pervasive Developmental Disorders,
including Autism affect 1 to 1.5 of 1000 children.
• Autism - when a child fails to develop normal speech patterns
(language) and does not relate to those around him (socialization.)
Involves rigid play, an over/under responsiveness to stimuli and
restricted interests.
• Asperger’s Syndrome - No significant delay in language or cognitive
development, but social difficulties and restricted interests.
• PDD-NOS - (Not Otherwise Specified)
• Tourette's Syndrome - a neurological disorder marked by sudden,
rapid, involuntary movements such as facial tics. A tic is a sudden, rapid
movement of some muscles that occurs repeatedly. Children with
Tourette's may have additional diagnosis of OCD and/or ADHD.
7. Schizophrenia and other Psychotic Disorders - Disturbances in thinking,
not mood. Includes childhood schizophrenia which is characterized by
impairment of thinking, feeling, and/or relating to others. Symptoms may
include hallucinations (hearing and seeing things that are not real) or
delusions (false beliefs). Often involves low motivation and withdrawing from
others. Schizoaffective Disorder has elements of psychotic symptoms and
significant mood symptoms (depression or mania).
(DSM-IV, 1995)
(From The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.)
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