Child and Adolescent

Disorders
CLASSIFICATION
DISRUPTIVE BEHAVIOR DISORDERS
-    Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
(ADHD)
-    Conduct disorder
-    Oppositional defiant disorder
ANXIETY DISORDERS OF CHILDHOOD OR
ADOLESCENCE
-         Separation anxiety disorder
-         Avoidant disorder of childhood and
adolescence
-         Over anxious disorder
Eating disorders
-         Anorexia nervosa
-         Bulimia nervosa
-         Pica
-         Rumination disorder of infancy
Gender disorders
Tic disorders
Elimination disorders
        Functional encopresis
   Functional enuresis
Mental retardation
Pervasive developmental disorders
Specific developmental disorders
 ETIOLOGY OF CHILD PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS
The etiology of mental health and psychiatric disorders
are multifactorial.
Several factors have been identified as placing
children and teens are at risk for mental health
disorders.
GENETIC FACTORS
Children with psychiatric disorder often have parents who
suffer from psychiatric disorder. Monozygotic twins are at
high risk for developmental disorder compared to
dizygotic twins
BRAIN DISORDER
Serious physical disease of any kind can predispose to
psychological problems in childhood.
The rate of psychiatric disorder among children with
brain disorder among children is related to the
severity of the damage
EPILEPSY
There is a strong association between epilepsy and
psychiatric disorders. The brain lesions causing the
epilepsy may cause psychological disorder. The
psychological and social consequences of recurrent
seizures may lead to emotional and behavioural disorder
and may affect school performance.
LEAD INTOXICATION
Chronic exposure to lead may lead to
impairment in intellectual and behaviour.
children brought up in poor social condition
could ingest more lead because they play in
streets polluted by car exhausts
ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS
LIFE EVENTS
Life events may be undesirable or protective
in nature and may vary in nature. Events can
be classified by their social characteristics.
Children of divorced parents have more
psychological problems than others.
 FAMILY
The family risk factors for psychiatric
disorder in childhood are multiple. They
are severe marital discord, low social
status and large size of overcrowding,
parental criminality and maternal
psychiatric disorder.
EFFECT OF PARENTAL MENTAL
DISORDER
Rates of psychological problem are higher in
children of parents with mental illness. These
problems usually involve poor adjustment at
home or at school.
SUBSTANCE ABUSE
Mothers who are addicted to alcohol or
smoking increases the risk for development of
psychiatric problem
THEORIES
Several theories have been proposed for the
different psychiatric mental health disorders
affecting the infants, children and adolescents.
 The more common psychiatric disorders
occurring in infants, children and adolescent
include MR, pervasive developmental
disorders, ADHD, childhood psychosis,
anxiety disorders, depression and disruptive
behaviour.
 1. MENTAL RETARDATION
The etiological factors associated with the development
of mental retardation have been identified as
Genetic (chromosomal and inherited condition)
Developmental (parental exposure to toxins and
infections)
Foetus exposed to radiation, syphilis, oxygen
deprivation, poor maternal nutrition, alcohol, drugs in
utero
Acquired syndrome
2. PERVASIVE DEVELOPMENTAL DISORDER
a) Rette’s disorder
It is an x linked progressive Neuro developmental
disorder for those families who have a child with
Rette’s disorder or someone in the family with
Rette’s disorder and the identified gene.
b) Autistic disorder 
Bilateral brain damage in the early life.
Low serotonin level in the left side of the brain
 
Smith Lemli Optiz Syndrome
Defects in the cholesterol metabolic pathway
c) Asperger’s disease
genetic metabolic and infectious and perinatal
contributing factors
3).ADHD

Neuromaturational delay
Catecholamine effect
Altered glucose metabolism in the brain
Frontal lobe dysfunction
additionally
sever central nervous system infections such as
Reye s syndrome and meningitis
perinatal insults such as substance abuse during
pregnancy
poor maternal nutrition
premature labour
anoxia
brain injuries during or after birth
4) CHILD HOOD PSYCHOSIS
Neurostructural changes
Neurochemical influences
Changes in brain metabolism
Intrauterine stress
Neuropsychological abnormalities
Communication styles
Life events and stress
5). ANXIETY DISORDER
starting school
moving or loss of parents
home work
family, friend teasing
yelling or loud noise
lack of autonomy
birth of new sibling
6) CONDUCT DISORDER
Neuro biologic theories
decreased non adrenergic functioning
high serotonin blood levels
encephalopathy
phenyl ketoneurea
lead poisoning
hyperthyroidism
brain tumors
head trauma
ATTACHMENT THEORY

Children with difficulty with attachment often exhibit

anxiety and aggressive behaviour and likely to have
difficult relationship with peers, parents and teachers
PSYCHOSOCIAL RISK FACTORS
children in families with conflict or divorce
Scapegoating
hostile, frustrated , ambivalent emotions expressed
by the family members
children who experienced poverty
children of minority ethnic stats
children of substance abusing and mentally ill parents
children of teenaged parents
children with chronic illness or disability
ENVIRONMENTAL RISK FACTORS 
public schools
presence of undisciplined and disruptive students
lack of parental involvement
overcrowded class room
violence and lack of school safety
students use alcohol and drugs