Mental Health Disorders Across the Lifespan
The Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry recently published a survey of 10,000 adolescents. The study found nearly one in five children meet criteria for a psychiatric disorder. Many times these disorders persist across their lifespan. The most common conditions were anxiety and behavioral disorders, closely followed by mood disorders. Nearly 11.4% had substance use disorders.
A very common time for these symptoms to surface is the fall most likely due to the stress of returning to school and the imposition of daily structure. Unfortunately, availability of treatment does not match the tremendous need to care for these vulnerable children.
