People with autism are more likely to face diabetes, high cholesterol, and heart disease than those without the neurological condition, according to a new study published this week in JAMA Pediatrics. Researchers also found that children with autism are especially likely to develop diabetes compared to their peers, and are at greater risk of hypertension, … Read more
Young adults who survive cancer are more likely than cancer-free siblings to be lonely and to develop emotional distress, risky behaviors, and new chronic conditions as a result, findings from a large retrospective study suggest. Young cancer survivors were two times more likely to report loneliness at study baseline and follow-up. Loneliness at these times … Read more
Higher levels of anxiety sensitivity were associated with more severe depression in adults with dissociative identity disorder, based on data from 21 individuals. Xi Pan, LICSW, MPA Anxiety sensitivity refers to fear of the signs and symptoms of anxiety based on the individual’s belief that the signs of anxiety will have harmful consequences, wrote Xi … Read more
Children with chronically elevated externalizing symptoms, such as behavioral problems, or internalizing symptoms, such as mental health concerns, have an increased risk for poor economic and social outcomes in adulthood, data from a new study suggests. Children with comorbid externalizing and internalizing symptoms were especially vulnerable to long-term economic and social exclusion. Dr. Massimiliano Orri … Read more
There has been a substantial increase over the last 20 years in antipsychotic prescribing among children and adolescents in England — especially among those with autism, an analysis of primary care records from 7.2 million children and adolescents aged 3-18 years shows. “This study demonstrates a trend concerning antipsychotic prescribing in children and adolescents,” study … Read more
Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is more predictive of poor mental health in adults than autism spectrum disorder (ASD), new research suggests. In a trait-based analysis of more than 500 adults, researchers found that ADHD traits trumped ASD traits in predicting internalizing problems. “Further research is now needed to delve deeper into understanding exactly why ADHD … Read more
The assessment and diagnosis of bipolar disorder in youth has a complicated and controversial history. I recall from my child and adolescent fellowship training that there was a thinly veiled faculty argument about the diagnosis itself with strong opinions on each side. To revisit this quandary, I reviewed the most up-to-date literature and outlined a … Read more
They come from broken homes, from youth welfare organizations, or from the street. These are the addicted children and teenagers who seek help at Germany’s “Teen Spirit Island.” Medscape spoke to the pediatric and adolescent psychiatrist Frank M. Fischer, MD, senior physician of the Addiction and Trauma Therapy Ward at the Auf der Bult Children’s … Read more
Persistent postconcussion symptoms (PPCS) are tied to a significantly increased risk of developing subsequent depressive symptoms, new research shows. Results from a large meta-analysis that included 18 studies and more than 9,000 patients showed a fourfold higher risk of developing depressive symptoms in those with PPCS versus those without PPCS. “In this meta-analysis, experiencing PPCS … Read more
New data suggests that in general, antipsychotics are not associated with any increased risk of congenital malformations in a growing fetus, new data show. Dr Krista Huybrechts Overall, the findings suggest that antipsychotics are “not major teratogens and are therefore generally reassuring for women who require treatment with antipsychotics during pregnancy,” study investigator Krista Huybrechts, … Read more