The Impact of the Comorbidity of ASD and ADHD on Social Impairment

Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders - Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) both experience behavioral and social...     

Antisocial Behavior,Psychopathology and Functional Impairment: Association with Sex and Age in Clinical Children and Adolescents

This study examined the prevalence, degree of association and differential effect, by sex and age, of conduct disorder symptoms on psychopathology and functioning. Participants included 680 Spanish children and adolescents between 8 and 17 years and their parents, attending to psychiatric outpatient consultation. Data were obtained through structured diagnostic interviews, and other measures of psychopathological outcomes and functional impairment. In general, the prevalence of antisocial behavior did not differ significantly by sex or age. Results indicated a higher frequency for 13–17 year olds, and a greater number of symptoms in boys. Moreover, some symptoms of conduct disorder showed developmental variations. Sex and age differentially affected the expression of some conduct disorder symptoms and their associations with functional impairment and severity of psychopathology. Knowing the different expression of each symptom could help to identify these problems in clinical children and adolescents, contributing to an early detection of population at the highest risk of serious psychopathology and worse prognosis.     

Functional MRI of Task Switching in Children with Specific Language Impairment (SLI)

The objective of this study was to examine executive functioning in children with Specific Language Impairment (SLI) using functional MRI. Six children with SLI and seven control children participated in this study and received a task-switching paradigm. No specific deficit in executive control was observed at the behavioral level in children with SLI. However, the neuroimaging data did show remarkable differences between the SLI and control children. The children with SLI recruited frontal and cingulate areas, normally associated with executive control, even when the task did not require them in the children without SLI. This might indicate that the task was more demanding for the SLI group and that compensatory mechanisms were engaged for successful task performance.     

Mental Health of Rural Young Adults: Prevalence of Psychiatric Disorders,Comorbidity, and Service Utilization

Few studies estimate rural psychiatric disorder rates. No study has reported either DSM-III-R or DSM IV disorder prevalence and mental health service use among US rural young adults. This paper reports psychiatric disorder prevalence, comorbidity, service utilization, and disorder correlates in a community sample of 536 young adults, aged 19 to 23 years, living in the rural Midwestern US. More than 60% of the sample met criteria for a lifetime disorder. Substance use disorders were most prevalent. Results indicate that young adults living in the rural Midwest demonstrate substantial rates of psychiatric disorder that are comparable to other population groups. Martha A. Rueter is affiliated with the Department of Family Social Science, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN 55108, USA Kristen E. Holm is affiliated with the National Jewish Medical and Research Center, Denver, CO, USA Rebecca Burzette is affiliated with the Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA Kee Jeong Kim and Rand D. Conger are affiliated with the University of California, Davis, CA, USA     

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in Adults: Impact,Comorbidity, Risk Factors,and Treatment

During the last 30 years, there has been a substantial increase in the study of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Several high-profile traumatic events, such as the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and the terrorist attacks of September 11 on the World Trade Center, have led to a greater public interest in the risk and protective factors for PTSD. In this In Review paper, I discuss some of the important advances in PTSD. The paper provides a concise review of the evolution of PTSD diagnosis in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, impact of PTSD in the community, an overview of the established risk factors for developing PTSD, and assessment and treatment. Throughout the paper, controversies and clinical implications are discussed.     

Treatment Concerns and Functional Impairment in Pediatric Anxiety

Although there are efficacious, evidence-based treatments for anxiety disorders, youth often experience delays in seeking therapy. Myriad reasons may contribute to this lag in treatment initiation, with some youth possessing concerns about therapy. Treatment concerns are broadly characterized by worries/ambivalence about seeking treatment, including concerns about the negative reactions, consequences, and inconvenience of treatment. As no studies exist for youth with anxiety disorders, this study examined the phenomenology of treatment concerns in 119 treatment-seeking, anxious youth and utilized a structural equation model to examine the relationship between child anxiety, depressive symptoms, treatment concerns, and anxiety-related functional impairment. Over 90 % of the children positively endorsed some type of treatment-related fear, with the most frequently expressed concern being that therapy would take too much time (50.4 %). Based on the model, both child anxiety and depressive symptoms predicted functional impairment, and treatment concerns mediated the relationship between child anxiety and functional impairment.     

Cross-Sectional Study of Women with Trichotillomania: A Preliminary Examination of Pulling Styles,Severity, Phenomenology,and Functional Impact

The current study utilized a cross-sectional design to examine pulling severity, phenomenology, functional impact, and “focused” and “automatic” pulling styles in women with TTM across a wide age spectrum. “Automatic” pulling refers to pulling occurring primarily out of one’s awareness, while “focused” pulling refers to pulling with a compulsive quality that may include pulling in response to a negative emotional state (e.g., anxiety, stress, anger, etc.), an intense thought or urge, or in an attempt to establish symmetry. In the present study, data were collected from 1,471 female participants (age 10–69) meeting modified diagnostic criteria for TTM via two separate online surveys (one for children/adolescents, one for adults). Pulling severity remained stable across the different developmental cohorts. However, fluctuations in functional impact (e.g., social and interpersonal impairment) were noted. “Automatic” pulling showed relatively little fluctuation from adolescence to adulthood, while “focused” pulling demonstrated considerable fluctuation coinciding with psychological distress and typical ages of important biological changes (e.g., pubertal onset) in children/adolescents and adults (e.g., perimenopause). Conclusions, treatment implications, limitations, and future areas of research are discussed.     

The Functional Impact of HIV-Associated Neuropsychological Impairment in Spanish-Speaking Adults: A Pilot Study

Among English-speaking adults, HIV-associated neuropsychological (NP) impairments have been associated with problems in everyday functioning, including ability to function at work and drive an automobile. Latinos account for a disproportionate number of HIV/AIDS cases nationwide, and a significant segment of this population is primarily Spanish speaking. We have previously developed an assessment that evaluates English-speakers on a variety of instrumental activities of daily living. In this pilot study, we used Spanish-language translations of our functional battery to investigate the cultural relevance of such measures, and to explore relationships between NP status and ability to perform important everyday tasks in HIV-infected Spanish-speakers. Sixteen HIV-infected monolingual Spanish-speaking adults received comprehensive, Spanish language NP testing and functional assessments included the following domains: Medication Management, Cooking, Finances, Shopping, and Restaurant Scenario. Results revealed that most of the functional tasks appeared culturally relevant and appropriate with minor modifications. NP-impaired participants were significantly more functionally impaired compared to NP-normals (88% vs. 13%, p <.01). Performances on the functional assessment and the NP battery were also related to indicators of real world functioning, including employment status and quality of life. These results, though preliminary, suggest that Spanish language functional assessments are potentially valid tools for detecting everyday functioning deficits associated with NP impairments in HIV-infected Spanish-speakers.     

儿童重型颅脑损伤的临床特点和治疗对策（附106例分析）

目的 总结小儿急性重型颅脑损伤的临床特点与救治经验。方法 回顾分析我院1990年1月至2003年1月收治的106例小儿急性重型颅脑损伤病例。结果 恢复良好41例，轻残20例，中残9例，重残12例，死亡24例。结论 早期诊断、正确选择治疗方法及手术方式，配以积极的综合治疗能明显改善患儿预后。     

小儿重型颅脑损伤的临床特征与治疗

目的：总结小儿重型颅脑损伤的临床特征与救治经验。方法：对我院1992年12月至2002年10月收治的79例重型颅脑损伤患儿进行回顾性分析。结果：存活64例，死亡15例，59例患儿获随访（时间为3个月－9年），41例恢复良好，轻残11例，中残4例，重残3例，结论：早期与积极的综合治疗措施明显地改善小儿重型颅脑损伤的预后。     

Measuring the Functional Impact of Behavioral Inflexibility in Children with Autism Using the Behavioral Inflexibility Scale: Clinical Interview (BIS-CI)

Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders - For individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), behavioral inflexibility can affect multiple domains of functioning and family life. The...     

Treatment of obsessive-compulsive hair pulling (Trichotillomania) by behavioral and cognitive contingency manipulation

A case of trichotillomania of 11 yr duration in a 21-yr-old female was successfully treated using contingency management for both hair pulling behavior and the urge to pull hair. During treatment of approximately two months, the hair pulling behavior was associated with a mild aversive procedure and her awareness of the urge to pull hair was used as a cue to initiate hair grooming. She remains essentially symptom free of hair pulling and has a markedly reduced awareness of urges to pull her hair at 7-months follow-up.     

Treatment of hairpulling (Trichotillomania): A comparative study of habit reversal and negative practice training

Hairpulling is an uncommon behavior which has received little study and for which effective treatment has not been established. The present study evaluated the habit reversal and the negative practice method of treatment with 34 subjects randomly assigned to the two treatments. Habit reversal was about twice as effective as the negative practice with respect to the average percentage reduction in hairpulling episodes, the number of subjects who stopped hairpulling entirely, and those who stopped almost entirely. Follow-up phone calls or a single booster session were often effective in preventing or correcting the relapses. It appears that hairpulling can be successfully treated by brief habit reversal training with substantial and enduring benefits.     

Effect of Comorbidity on Treatment of Anxious Children and Adolescents: Results From a Large,Combined Sample

ObjectiveThe purpose of the present study was to evaluate the influence of comorbid disorders on the degree of change and the endpoint of cognitive-behavioral treatment in anxious young people.MethodData on 750 children 6 to 18 years old were compiled from different samples within one clinic. All children had a primary anxiety disorder and were engaged in a manual-based, 10-session, cognitive-behavioral treatment program. Outcome was determined according to diagnostic status and continuous symptom measurements. Analyses compared results among four groups: no comorbidity, comorbid anxiety disorders, comorbid externalizing disorders, comorbid mood disorders. All analyses were intent-to-treat analyses.ResultsChildren with comorbid depression were the least likely to be free of their primary anxiety diagnosis at the end of treatment and follow-up. According to child and maternal reports, symptoms of anxiety decreased similarly over time in all groups, but children with comorbid mood disorders scored significantly highest at all time points. Examining the effects of anxiety treatment on comorbid disorders showed that comorbid mood disorders, but not externalizing disorders, decreased significantly over time.ConclusionsThe existence of comorbid disorders does not appear to affect the rate or extent of response to cognitive-behavioral treatment for child anxiety. However, comorbidity has a marked influence on the endpoint of treatment. Children with nonanxiety comorbidity and especially with comorbid mood disorders exhibit greater severity at the outset and remain worse after treatment. On the positive side, treatment for anxiety disorders appears to decrease comorbid mood disorders, although it has less effect on comorbid externalizing disorders.