Influence of child and adolescent psychiatric disorders on young adult personality disorder.

OBJECTIVE: This study examines associations between childhood psychopathology and young adult personality disorder in a random sample of 551 youths, who were 9 to 16 years old at first assessment. METHOD: Subjects were evaluated for DSM-III-R psychiatric disorders. Information was obtained prospectively from youths and their mothers at three points over 10 years. The predictive effects of prior axis I disorders and adolescent axis II personality disorder clusters A, B, and C on young adult personality disorder were examined in logistic regression analyses. RESULTS: The odds of young adult personality disorder increased given an adolescent personality disorder in the same cluster. Prior disruptive disorders, anxiety disorders, and major depression all significantly increased the odds of young adult personality disorder independent of an adolescent personality disorder. In addition, comorbidity of axis I and axis II disorders heightened the odds of young adult personality disorder relative to the odds of a disorder on a single axis. CONCLUSIONS: Assessment of personality pathology before late adolescence may be warranted. Childhood or adolescent axis I disorders may set in motion a chain of maladaptive behaviors and environmental responses that foster more persistent psychopathology over time. Identification and treatment of childhood disorder may help to reduce that risk.     

Child and adolescent antecedents of adult mood disorders

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Developmental information such as childhood risk factors and childhood precursors of adult mood disorders may have implications for etiologic theory, clinical practice and preventive intervention. From a developmental point of view, mood disorders are of particular interest because of the complex interplay of psychological, social and biological components across time. Identifying different developmental trajectories of mood disorders may yield insights that are relevant to the etiology. RECENT FINDINGS: Findings demonstrate a clear association between early mood problems and onset of mood disorders in adult life. Childhood environmental risks are associated with increased risk of depression in adulthood. There is a lack of studies that have tested the role of gene-environment correlation and the role of gene-environment interaction in the development of depression from childhood into adulthood. A promising line of research comes from studies looking into the biological modifications of the developing brain as a result of early adverse experiences, especially alterations in the corticotropin-releasing factor system, which may lead to increased responsiveness to stress. SUMMARY: To better understand the complex interplay between nature and nurture in the development of mood disorders in adults, future studies should ideally consider well measured risk environments in genetic sensitive designs. It is equally important that future studies should also consider both age differences in causal processes and gender differences in effects. Such an approach calls for research in which (molecular) genetic and psychosocial research is well integrated in prospective epidemiological strategies.     

Child and adolescent psychiatric disorders in a public service over seventy years

The entire sample of N=45554 patients attending the child and adolescent psychiatric service of the Canton of Zurich, Switzerland between 1921 and 1990 was analyzed with regard to age, sex, and diagnoses. Data were based on annual reports of the institution for the period between 1921 and 1978. From 1979 onwards, electronically stored data on each patient were available. ICD-9 diagnoses were applied between 1979 and 1987. The ICD-10 system was introduced in 1988. The total administrative prevalence rate varied between 0.15 and 0.40 percent with an increasing trend over time. On the average, boys outnumbered girls by a sex ratio of 2:1. The age distribution showed peaks at 8 to 9 years and during adolescence. The distributions of the most common diagnoses showed remarkable differences over time. It is assumed that changes in diagnostic categories rather than changes in true prevalence rates play a major role in the latter trend.     

Sadistic personality disorder and comorbid mental illness in adolescent psychiatric inpatients

Sadistic personality disorder (SPD) is a controversial diagnosis proposed in the DSM-III-R, but not included in the DSM-IV. Few studies have focused on this disorder in adolescents. This article describes the results of a study that sought to determine the presence of sadistic personality characteristics in psychiatrically hospitalized adolescents and of comorbid Axis I or personality disorder patterns in those youth with SPD or SPD traits. Fifty-six adolescents were assessed for sadistic and other personality disorders with the Structured Interview for DSM-III-R Personality Disorders-Revised (SIDP-R). Axis I disorders were assessed using the Diagnostic Interview for Children and Adolescents, Adolescent Version (DICA-R-A) and portions of the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School Age Children, Epidemiologic (K-SADS-E). The youth were divided into those with SPD and SPD traits, the Sadistic Group (n = 18), and the Nonsadistic Group (n = 38). A significant proportion of the adolescents in this study met full DSM criteria for SPD (14%). The Sadistic Group (32%) had significantly more Axis I and personality pathology than did the Nonsadistic Group. However, all but one in the Sadistic Group met criteria for other personality disorders, confounding the interpretation of these findings and consistent with adult literature studies. Subjects with sadistic personality characteristics were identified in this adolescent inpatient sample, and they had more extensive Axis I and II psychopathology than the comparison group. The validity of this disorder in younger populations requires further study. Future studies should also explore the impact that the mandatory use of the pleasure/gratification criterion has on the validity of the SPD diagnosis and whether the requisite presence of this criterion decreases the overlap currently noted between SPD and other Axis II diagnoses.     

Child and adolescent psychiatric genetics

The current status of child and adolescent psychiatric genetics appears promising in light of the initiation of genome-wide association studies (GWAS) for diverse polygenic disorders and the molecular elucidation of monogenic Rett syndrome, for which recent functional studies provide hope for pharmacological treatment strategies. Within the last 50 years, tremendous progress has been made in linking genetic variation to behavioral phenotypes and psychiatric disorders. We summarize the major findings of the Human Genome Project and dwell on largely unsuccessful candidate gene and linkage studies. GWAS for the first time offer the possibility to detect single nucleotide polymorphisms and copy number variants without a priori hypotheses as to their molecular etiology. At the same time it is becoming increasingly clear that very large sample sizes are required in order to enable genome wide significant findings, thus necessitating further large-scaled ascertainment schemes for the successful elucidation of the molecular genetics of childhood and adolescent psychiatric disorders. We conclude by reflecting on different scenarios for future research into the molecular basis of early onset psychiatric disorders. This review represents the introductory article of this special issue of the European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.     

Child psychiatric disorders: prevalence and perspectives

This article provides a review of child psychiatric epidemiology, particularly as it applies to community prevalence surveys. By way of introduction, the administrative and scientific uses of epidemiology are outlined. Major issues in the field are discussed including prevalence versus incidence, definition of deviance and correlates, psychometric properties of instruments, sampling, sources of data, general maladjustment versus specific disorder, and comparability and generalizability of results. Current findings presented include a review of prevalence estimates for general maladjustment, conduct disorder, neurotic disorder, hyperactivity, and depressive disorder. Information is presented on the correlates of sex, age, social class, family factors, and school influences. The clinical implications of the correlate data are discussed and include the importance of utilizing multiple sources of data during the assessment phase and basing a treatment plan on a comprehensive assessment in which interventions are aimed at specific risk factors and strengths. Last, future directions of the field are suggested including the importance of gaining data on the correlates of the duration rather than the occurrence of disorders and the need for randomized clinical trials in which innovative prevention and treatment programs are launched and carefully evaluated.     

Conduct disorder and antisocial personality disorder in persons with severe psychiatric and substance use disorders

Conduct disorder (CD) and antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) are established risk factors for substance use disorders in both the general population and among persons with schizophrenia and other severe mental illnesses. Among clients with substance use disorders in the general population, CD and ASPD are associated with more severe problems and criminal justice involvement, but little research has examined their correlates in clients with dual disorders. To address this question, we compared the demographic, substance abuse, clinical, homelessness, sexual risk, and criminal justice characteristics of 178 dual disorder clients living in 2 urban areas between 4 groups: No CD/ASPD, CD Only, Adult ASPD Only, and Full ASPD. Clients in the Adult ASPD Only group tended to have the most severe drug abuse severity, the most extensive homelessness, and the most lifetime sexual partners, followed by the Full ASPD group, compared with the other 2 groups. However, clients with Full ASPD had the most criminal justice involvement, especially with respect to violent charges and convictions. The results suggest that a late-onset ASPD subtype may develop in clients with severe mental illness secondary to substance abuse, but that much criminal behavior in clients with dual disorders may be due to the early onset of the full ASPD syndrome in this population and not the effects of substance use disorders.     

DSM-III-R personality disorders in panic and obsessive-compulsive disorder: a comparison study.

Forty-eight patients with panic disorder/agoraphobia (PAD) and 30 with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) were assessed for DSM-III-R axis II personality disorders (PD) and the presence of the same anxiety disorder in the relatives of probands (homotypic disorders). No specific personality disorder was present significantly more often in either of the two groups. Agoraphobia was not associated with higher rates of axis II disorders in PAD patients. Duration of illness did not influence the presence of a PD in patients of both groups. Secondary cases of the same anxiety disorder were significantly more common among first-degree relatives of PAD patients. A discriminant analysis performed on the most frequent personality traits of both groups provided a correct classification of cases of 97.4%. Our results do not support the hypothesis of PD as secondary to anxiety disorders and confirm previous findings of a lack of specificity between DSM-III-R axis II categories and OCD and PAD.     

The subsyndromal phenomenology of borderline personality disorder: a 10-year follow-up study

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to characterize the course of 24 symptoms of borderline personality disorder in terms of time to remission. METHOD: The borderline psychopathology of 362 patients with personality disorders, all recruited during inpatient stays, was assessed using two semistructured interviews of proven reliability. Of these, 290 patients met DSM-III-R criteria as well as Revised Diagnostic Interview for Borderlines criteria for borderline personality disorder, and 72 met DSM-III-R criteria for another axis II disorder. Over 85% of the patients were reinterviewed at five distinct 2-year follow-up waves by interviewers blind to all previously collected information. RESULTS: Among borderline patients, 12 of the 24 symptoms studied showed patterns of sharp decline over time and were reported at 10-year follow-up by less than 15% of the patients who reported them at baseline. The other 12 symptoms showed patterns of substantial but less dramatic decline over the follow-up period. Symptoms reflecting core areas of impulsivity (e.g., self-mutilation and suicide efforts) and active attempts to manage interpersonal difficulties (e.g., problems with demandingness/entitlement and serious treatment regressions) seemed to resolve the most quickly. In contrast, affective symptoms reflecting areas of chronic dysphoria (e.g., anger and loneliness/emptiness) and interpersonal symptoms reflecting abandonment and dependency issues (e.g., intolerance of aloneness and counterdependency problems) seemed to be the most stable. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that borderline personality disorder may consist of both symptoms that are manifestations of acute illness and symptoms that represent more enduring aspects of the disorder.     

Child and adolescent psychiatric emergencies: family psychodynamic issues

Given the impact of the family on the etiology, identification, and treatment of child mental health problems, this article addresses the role of the family in psychiatric emergencies. This article covers relevant aspects of family evaluation in an emergency context, factors that determine the family's role in disposition, and planning of family considerations in several specific clinical emergencies. Improved understanding of the family's contribution leads to a more accurate diagnostic consideration and more appropriate disposition recommendations. A correct diagnosis and appropriate discharge plan lead to an improved prognosis for overall follow-up care and treatment.     

An empirical study of borderline personality disorder and psychiatric suicides

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is closely related to suicidal behavior, and suicide attempts per se are considered a diagnostic criterion. However, there has been no previous study of completed suicides and BPD. The present study is based on a population of 134 consecutive psychiatric suicides from 1961 to 1980 in a catchment area of 250,000 inhabitants. Clinical records were retrospectively diagnosed according to the Diagnostic Interview for Borderlines and DSM-III. There was a progressive increase in proportion of borderline suicides during the time period. The overall proportion of BPD, however, was only 12%, indicating that borderline patients are not seriously overrepresented among patients committing psychiatric suicides. Demographic variables, earlier psychiatric care, and suicidal behavior in the borderline group are described and analyzed.     

Childhood psychiatric disorders and young adult crime: a prospective, population-based study

OBJECTIVE: While psychopathology is common in criminal populations, knowing more about what kinds of psychiatric disorders precede criminal behavior could be helpful in delineating at-risk children. The authors determined rates of juvenile psychiatric disorders in a sample of young adult offenders and then tested which childhood disorders best predicted young adult criminal status. METHOD: A representative sample of 1,420 children ages 9, 11, and 13 at intake were followed annually through age 16 for psychiatric disorders. Criminal offense status in young adulthood (ages 16 to 21) was ascertained through court records. RESULTS: Thirty-one percent of the sample had one or more adult criminal charges. Overall, 51.4% of male young adult offenders and 43.6% of female offenders had a child psychiatric history. The population-attributable risk of criminality from childhood disorders was 20.6% for young adult female participants and 15.3% for male participants. Childhood psychiatric profiles predicted all levels of criminality. Severe/violent offenses were predicted by comorbid diagnostic groups that included both emotional and behavioral disorders. CONCLUSIONS: The authors found that children with specific patterns of psychopathology with and without conduct disorder were at risk of later criminality. Effective identification and treatment of children with such patterns may reduce later crime.     

Child and adolescent problems predict DSM-IV disorders in adulthood: a 14-year follow-up of a Dutch epidemiological sample

OBJECTIVE: Few studies exist that examine continuities between child and adult psychopathology in unselected samples. This study prospectively examined the adult outcomes of psychopathology in an epidemiological sample of children and adolescents across a 14-year period. METHOD: In 1983, parent ratings of behavioral and emotional problems were obtained for 1,578 children and adolescents aged 4 through 16 years from the Dutch general population. At follow-up, 14 years later, subjects were reassessed with a standardized DSM-IV interview. RESULTS: High levels of childhood problems predicted an approximate 2- to 6-fold increased risk for adulthood DSM-IV diagnoses. The associations between specific childhood problems and adulthood diagnoses were complex. Social Problems in girls predicted later DSM-IV disorder. Rule-breaking behavior in boys predicted both mood disorders and disruptive disorders in adulthood. CONCLUSIONS: High levels of childhood behavioral and emotional problems are related to DSM-IV diagnoses in adulthood. The strongest predictor of disorders in adulthood was childhood rule-breaking behavior. Attention Problems did not predict any of the DSM-IV categories when adjusted for the associations with other Child Behavior Checklist scales.     

注意缺陷多动障碍患儿的成人早期精神状况随访研究

Objective To investigate the psychiatric status in their young adulthood of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).Methods This was a prospedive study.The follow-up study of a cohort of clinic-referred ADHD children was conducted.At baseline, The consecutively referred children (n = 300) with DSM-Ⅳ ADHD, aged 7.5 - 17.0 years were assessed.At the 2.0 - 13.5-year follow-up, 116 ( 38.7% ) of them were reassessed ( aged 18.0 - 23.5 years ) using the structured psychiatric interviews to make DSM-Ⅳ diagnoses by trained clinicians, including the Conners Adult ADHD Diagnostic Interview for DSM-Ⅳ (CAADID), Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-Ⅳ Axis Ⅰ Disorders, Non-Patient Version ( SCID- Ⅰ/NP), and Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-Ⅳ Personality Disorders (SCID-Ⅱ).Results In the former 116 ADHD children, 50.9% (n =59) still met the ADHD criteria, in which 15.5% (n = 18) with pure ADHD, and 35.3% (n =41 ) fulfilled both ADHD and psychiatric/ personality disorders, 14.7% ( n = 17) met the criteria of psychiatric/personality disorders, but not ADHD,34.5% (n = 40) fulfilled none of the psychiatric/personality diagnoses at follow-up.Among 116 former ADHD children, 34.5% (n=40) had at least one DSM-Ⅳ axis Ⅰ disorders, in which 18.1% comorbid mood disorders, 10.3% anxiety disorders, 5.2% abuse disorders; and 32.8% (n=38) had at least one DSM-Ⅳ axis Ⅱ personality disorders, in which 5.2% type A personality disorders, 19.8% type B ( 17.2%anti-social personality disorders), 15.5% type C, and 6.0% others.Conclusion It indicates that ADHD youth be at high risk for a wide range of adverse psychiatric outcomes, and 2/3 of them have diagnoses of adult ADHD and/or psychiatric/personality disorders.     

Child and adolescent psychiatric patients in adulthood

A total of 142 consecutive patients cared for by child and adolescent psychiatry were followed up to the age of 33-37 years; 49% were treated in adult psychiatry between the ages of 20-25 years, and 20% of these were hospitalized. The frequency of hospitalization was 4-5 times that of a control group. Between the ages of 20-34 years, 32% were admitted some time for inpatient psychiatric care. Psychiatric diagnoses of the patients: schizophrenia 4%, manic-depressive 5%, neurosis and reactive insufficiency 11%, personality disorders and/or abuse diagnosis 12%. Patients with a schizophrenia diagnosis in adulthood needed the most hospitalization. The symptom picture was stable from child and adolescent psychiatric care through to adulthood, but abuse increased with age. The frequency of sick leave was 2.5 times higher among the child and adolescent psychiatric care patients than among the control group. At the age of 34-36 years, 13% of the former patients received disability benefits as compared with 1% for the same age groups in the entire population of Sweden. Twenty-one percent received sentences for criminal offenses from the age of 20-34 years. The number of crimes decreased with increasing age. Nearly 50% were in contact with the social welfare services, 3 times as many as in the control group. A third of the men completed their national military service. A total of 6 men and 1 woman died, indicating an increased mortality rate for men. All deaths except one were related to the mental disorder.     

注意缺陷多动障碍患儿的成人早期精神状况随访研究

Objective To investigate the psychiatric status in their young adulthood of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).Methods This was a prospedive study.The follow-up study of a cohort of clinic-referred ADHD children was conducted.At baseline, The consecutively referred children (n = 300) with DSM-Ⅳ ADHD, aged 7.5 - 17.0 years were assessed.At the 2.0 - 13.5-year follow-up, 116 ( 38.7% ) of them were reassessed ( aged 18.0 - 23.5 years ) using the structured psychiatric interviews to make DSM-Ⅳ diagnoses by trained clinicians, including the Conners Adult ADHD Diagnostic Interview for DSM-Ⅳ (CAADID), Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-Ⅳ Axis Ⅰ Disorders, Non-Patient Version ( SCID- Ⅰ/NP), and Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-Ⅳ Personality Disorders (SCID-Ⅱ).Results In the former 116 ADHD children, 50.9% (n =59) still met the ADHD criteria, in which 15.5% (n = 18) with pure ADHD, and 35.3% (n =41 ) fulfilled both ADHD and psychiatric/ personality disorders, 14.7% ( n = 17) met the criteria of psychiatric/personality disorders, but not ADHD,34.5% (n = 40) fulfilled none of the psychiatric/personality diagnoses at follow-up.Among 116 former ADHD children, 34.5% (n=40) had at least one DSM-Ⅳ axis Ⅰ disorders, in which 18.1% comorbid mood disorders, 10.3% anxiety disorders, 5.2% abuse disorders; and 32.8% (n=38) had at least one DSM-Ⅳ axis Ⅱ personality disorders, in which 5.2% type A personality disorders, 19.8% type B ( 17.2%anti-social personality disorders), 15.5% type C, and 6.0% others.Conclusion It indicates that ADHD youth be at high risk for a wide range of adverse psychiatric outcomes, and 2/3 of them have diagnoses of adult ADHD and/or psychiatric/personality disorders.     

注意缺陷多动障碍患儿的成人早期精神状况随访研究

目的 了解注意缺陷多动障碍(ADHD)患儿在成人早期罹患精神障碍的状况.方法 采用前瞻性设计方法,对就诊于北京大学精神卫生研究所精神科门诊的300例ADHD患儿进行随访,同意参加随访者116例(随访率38.7%),基线至随访为2.0～13.5年;患儿基线年龄为7.5～17.0岁,随访时年龄为18.0～23.5岁;采用以美国精神障碍诊断与统计手册第4版为诊断标准制订的定式会谈工具确定诊断,包括Conners成人ADHD诊断会谈量表(Conners Adult ADHD Diagnostic Interview for DSM-Ⅳ,CAADID)、DSM-Ⅳ-TR轴Ⅰ障碍定式临床检查(SCID-Ⅰ)和DSM-Ⅳ轴Ⅱ障碍定式临床检查(SCID-Ⅱ)工具.结果 随访时116例中符合成人ADHD诊断者共59例(50.9%),其中单纯符合成人ADHD诊断标准者18例(15.5%),同时符合成人ADHD及精神障碍/人格障碍者41例(35.3%);不符合成人ADHD诊断,但符合精神障碍/人格障碍者17例(14.7%);不符合任何精神疾病诊断者40例(34.5%),其中功能缓解29例(25.0%),功能未缓解11例(9.5%).116例中,40例(34.5%)至少共患1种DSM-Ⅳ轴Ⅰ障碍,其中21例(18.1%)共患情感障碍,12例(10.3%)共患焦虑障碍,6例(5.2%)共患物质滥用;38例(32.8%)符合DSM-Ⅳ轴Ⅱ人格障碍诊断,其中6例(5.2%)符合A组人格障碍诊断,23例(19.8%)符合B组人格障碍诊断,包括20例(17.2%)反社会型人格障碍,18例(15.5%)符合C组人格障碍诊断,6例(6.0%)符合其他人格障碍诊断.结论 ADHD患儿至成人早期预后较差,2/3左右罹患成人ADHD、精神障碍或人格障碍,其中50.9%符合成人ADHD.