childhood and adolescent psychological problems Flashcards
1
Q
how many young people are diagnosed with mental health problems?
A
- 10% of children and young people (aged 5-16 years) have a clinically diagnosable mental health problem
- 70% of children and adolescents who experience mental health problems HAVE NOT HAD appropriate interventions at a sufficiently early age
2
Q
What are the difficulties associated with diagnosing psychological problems in childhood?
A
- issues with communication and articulation in children
- may report a lot of physical issues (e.g. feeling sick)
–> this could suggest a physical issue when really it’s mental - might change as children grow
–> might grow out of their problems - stigma
–> label given to a child could stick - over and under diagnosis issues
- considering what is appropriate for their age
- cultural norms
- quick development trajectories
3
Q
what are the problems with NOT treating?
A
- problems can persist over time
- can become more serious when left
- can effect daily life and education/careers
–> may result in criminal activity and prison
4
Q
incidence of mental health problems in children and adolescents in Great Britain (2004)
A
- some studies report incidence as high as 20%
- most studies using kids 5-10 is around 10%
- between 10-12% for kids aged 11-16
5
Q
externalising disorders
A
- disorders based on outward-directed behaviour problems
- such as:
–> aggressiveness
–> hyperactivity
–> non-compliance
–> impulsiveness
6
Q
internalising disorders
A
- disorders represented by more inward-looking and withdrawn behaviours
- may represent the experience of:
–> depression
–> anxiety
–> active attempts to socially withdraw
7
Q
childhood anxiety
A
- separation anxiety
–> specific to childhood - child OCD
–> similar to adult apart from children can get compulsions without obsessions
–> e.g. behaviours WITHOUT the intrusive thoughts - General anxiety disorder
–> (similar to adult) chronic worrying about potential problems and threats, pathological worrying
8
Q
types of OCD
A
- checking
- contamination
- symmetry and ordering
- ruminations/intrusive thoughts
9
Q
adult vs child cycle for OCD
A
-adults:
obsessions -> anxiety -> compulsions -> relief
- children:
anxiety -> compulsions -> relief
10
Q
OCD diagnosis
A
- diagnosis is dependent on the obsessions and compulsions causing marked distress
- time consuming or significantly interfering with the persons normal daily living
- symptoms cannot be explained by other disorders
11
Q
stats for childhood anxiety
A
- 4-7 years old fear separation from parents and fear of imaginary creatures
- 11-13 years old worry about social threats
- 8 year olds have double the worries of 5 year olds
- 1% in the UK, some US studies show 11%
12
Q
specific phobias
A
- normal:
–> appear and disappear quickly
–> e.g. heights, water and spiders - social phobia:
–> begins as a fear of strangers
13
Q
anxiety
A
- moderate heritability (54%)
- impacted by:
–> trauma
–> modelling
–> exposure to information
–> parenting style
14
Q
childhood and adolescent depression
A
- difficult to recognise in young children:
–> ‘clingy’ behaviour
–> school refusal
–> exaggerated fears - somatic complaints:
–> stomach aches
–> headaches - same as adult with minor amendments (DSM-5)
- range of heritability figures reported
- some studies find low heritability in childhood increasing in adolescence
- in younger children abuse or neglect are risk factors
15
Q
2 broad categories in the increased risk of depression
A
- genes
–> more likely if parents have depression - psychological factors
–> modelling depressive behaviours
–> parenting styles
(might not respond well to child emotions, fewer positive enrichment activities)
–> attributions (more linked to depression)
16
Q
ambiguous scenarios test
A
- given an ambiguous scenario
- asked to describe how you think it will go
- the outcome measure is the emotional valence rating of each description made by participants on a 9-point scale
–> ranging from extremely unpleasant (AST-D - pessimistic) to extremely pleasant
17
Q
ADHD
A
- ADHD with inattentive presentation
- ADHD with hyperactive/impulsive presentation
- can have combined presentation
18
Q
treatment of childhood and adolescent psychological problems
A
- drug treatments
–> similar to adults - family interventions:
–> systemic family therapy (communication, structure and organisation)
–> parent management training (not rewarding antisocial behaviours)
–> functional family therapy (strengthens relationships) - CBT
- play therapy
19
Q
what are the problems with drug treatments in childhood/adolescence compared to adulthood?
A
- over dependence
–> risk of needing to use them for a really long time - brain is still changing and developing
–> drugs can impact this - chance of addiction if we take them too young
20
Q
animals to test drugs
A
- mice
- mice move around less when they’re less nervous
- give them anti-depressants (e.g. Prozac) and observe the effects
- mice move less with Prozac (less nervous?)
21
Q
does making decisions in partnership with children and their parents improve child mental health?
A
- shared decision making has positive correlation with child mental health
- mutual understanding between clinician and the child
- parents and professionals listening to children and letting them help make the decisions
22
Q
2 types of disruptive behaviour disorders
A
- oppositional defiant disorder (ODD)
- conduct disorder (CD)
–> CD before age 10 (childhood)
–> CD after age 10 (adolescence)
23
Q
callous and unemotional traits (CU)
A
- persistent behaviour that highlights a lack of empathy and a disregard for others
- issues with emotional and behavioural regulation
–> more similar to adult psychopathy than antisocial youth - less sensitive to punishment cues especially when keen for a reward
–> example of distinctive cognitive characteristics - CU traits are positively related to intellectual skills in the verbal realm
