Ambrosio Spinola
11-29-2005, 08:48 AM
One wonders if this is new or not
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/health/thehealthnews.html?in_article_id=369979&in_page_id=1797
More than one in 10 pre-school children may be experiencing early mental problems that are likely to disrupt their lives, a new study suggests.
Scientists were shocked to discover large numbers of youngsters under five meeting the criteria for mental and behavioural disorders seen in school-age children, adolescents and adults.
In more than 11% of cases, the children suffered symptoms bad enough to affect their daily lives. The kinds of problems included attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), serious disruptive behaviour, depression, and anxiety.
Psychiatrists in the United States rated 307 pre-school children by asking their parents to fill in questionnaires.
The questions were carefully designed to spot tell-tale behavioural traits commonly associated with different kinds of mental illness and disability.
Many of the children were found to have a range of problems, often displaying symptoms of more than one kind of disorder. Almost 12% showed signs either of ADHD or disruptive behaviour, while about the same proportion appeared to be anxious or depressed.
Those with ADHD were unable to concentrate on anything for more than a very short time, were highly overactive, and tended to act spontaneously without thinking.
Disruptive children refused to follow instructions or obey rules, and were highly irritable and likely to start fights.
Anxiety showed itself in a number of ways, including generalised fear, phobias, and terror at being separated from parents. Children with depression showed typical symptoms of sadness, irritability, disturbed sleep and lack of appetite.
Dr Adrian Angold, from Duke University in North Carolina, who led the research, said: "Already by the age of two to five you are seeing rates of a variety of psychiatric disorders which are very similar to rates you see at nine, 17 and the 20s. These are kids that have psychiatric problems with symptoms that are impacting on their lives in a negative way.. they really are sick.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/health/thehealthnews.html?in_article_id=369979&in_page_id=1797
More than one in 10 pre-school children may be experiencing early mental problems that are likely to disrupt their lives, a new study suggests.
Scientists were shocked to discover large numbers of youngsters under five meeting the criteria for mental and behavioural disorders seen in school-age children, adolescents and adults.
In more than 11% of cases, the children suffered symptoms bad enough to affect their daily lives. The kinds of problems included attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), serious disruptive behaviour, depression, and anxiety.
Psychiatrists in the United States rated 307 pre-school children by asking their parents to fill in questionnaires.
The questions were carefully designed to spot tell-tale behavioural traits commonly associated with different kinds of mental illness and disability.
Many of the children were found to have a range of problems, often displaying symptoms of more than one kind of disorder. Almost 12% showed signs either of ADHD or disruptive behaviour, while about the same proportion appeared to be anxious or depressed.
Those with ADHD were unable to concentrate on anything for more than a very short time, were highly overactive, and tended to act spontaneously without thinking.
Disruptive children refused to follow instructions or obey rules, and were highly irritable and likely to start fights.
Anxiety showed itself in a number of ways, including generalised fear, phobias, and terror at being separated from parents. Children with depression showed typical symptoms of sadness, irritability, disturbed sleep and lack of appetite.
Dr Adrian Angold, from Duke University in North Carolina, who led the research, said: "Already by the age of two to five you are seeing rates of a variety of psychiatric disorders which are very similar to rates you see at nine, 17 and the 20s. These are kids that have psychiatric problems with symptoms that are impacting on their lives in a negative way.. they really are sick.