Teaching Children about Mental Health and Illness: A School Nurse Health Education Program

A mental health education program designed by school nurses for children ages 10–12 was developed in 2000–2001 and expanded with broader distribution in 2004–2005. Six classroom sessions, each 45 minutes in length, provided information and activities to increase children's awareness of mental health and illness. Education program content included facts about the brain's connection to mental health, information about healthy ways to manage stress, resources and activities to promote mental health, common mental health problems experienced by children, and how to seek help for mental health problems. Classes included a combination of didactic presentation and open discussion, encouraging students to ask questions and allowing the school nurse to correct misinformation. Analysis of pre- and posttests from 370 elementary and middle school students revealed statistically significant improvements in their knowledge of mental health and mental illness.

Cognitive and Executive Functions in Colombian School Children with Conduct Disorder: Sex Differences

INTRODUCTION

Most of the studies that have examined cognitive and executive functions in conduct disorders (CD) have been conducted on institutionalized male adolescents. In this research the cognitive and executive functions of non-institutionalized Colombian school children with CD were compared with normal school children, all between 6 and 12 years-old.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We used a case-control design. The cases were participants who met the diagnostic criteria for CD (n=39) and controls who did not meet these criteria (n=39), according to reports of a professional of the participants' institution, and a structured interview for childhood psychiatric syndromes. The two groups were selected from educational institutions, and there were no differences in age, school grade, or socioeconomic level. The IQ was reviewed, as well as the presence of other mental disorders, serious physical illnesses, and more serious neurological signs. The cognitive and executive functions were evaluated using a child neuropsychological test battery.

RESULTS

We found that participants with CD had significantly lower scores in construction abilities, perceptual abilities (tactile, visual and auditory), differed in verbal memory, differed in visual memory, language (repetition, expression and understanding), meta-linguistic abilities, spatial abilities, visual and auditory attention, conceptual abilities, verbal and graphic fluency, and cognitive flexibility. The same differences were found between males, except in repetition, whereas girls showed fewer differences, thus the cognitive and executive performance was poorer in males with CD than in females, especially in verbal and linguistic-related functions.

CONCLUSIONS

Children with CD could show generalized cognitive and executive deficits. These deficits seem to be more frequent in boys than in girls with CD.

Avaliação e diagnóstico do transtorno de déficit de atenção e hiperatividade (TDAH)

O objetivo desse artigo é efetuar um estudo teórico sobre alguns dos recursos mais utilizados em termos de avaliação e diagnóstico do Transtorno de Déficit de Atenção e Hiperatividade (TDAH). O TDAH é uma patologia de alta prevalência na infância e adolescência. A prática clínica aponta uma alta incidência de crianças que procuram atendimento com diagnóstico prévio de TDAH, que muitas vezes não é correto. Os próprios estudos de prevalência mostram achados que se diferem bastante, alertando para a necessidade de se refletir sobre o processo de avaliação e diagnóstico. Este artigo visa a apontar algumas das técnicas mais utilizadas para a avaliação da criança e do adolescente, abordando o processo como um todo, tendo em vista maior confiabilidade no diagnóstico e no tratamento.

Neurobehavioral disorders in children, adolescents, and young adults with Down syndrome

The term dual-diagnosis refers to a person with mental retardation and a psychiatric disorder. Most children with Down syndrome (DS) do not have a psychiatric or neurobehavioral disorder. Current prevalence estimates of neurobehavioral and psychiatric co-morbidity in children with DS range from 18% to 38%. We have found it useful to distinguish conditions with a pre-pubertal onset from those presenting in the post-pubertal period, as these are biologically distinct periods each with a unique vulnerability to specific psychiatric disorders. Due to the increased recognition that psychiatric symptoms may co-occur with mental retardation, and are not inextricably linked to cognitive impairment, these conditions are considered treatable, in part, under a medical model. Improvement in physiologic regulation, emotional stability, and neurocognitive processing is one of the most elusive but fundamental goals of pharmacologic intervention in these disorders.