Posts Tagged ‘Mental Illness’

Posted on December 14, 2009 - by David

13% of U.S Kids Have a Mental Disorder

An article was published online today in the journal Pediatrics, reporting the findings of a study conducted from 2001-2004 on the prevalence and treatment of mental disorders among U.S children. Unfortunately, the full text of the article is only available with a subscription, but you can read the abstract, and the National Institute of Mental Health website issued a press release which summarized the findings. I also found this page, which looks at some of the data in more detail.

In short, the study found that 13% of the 3,042 eight to fifteen year olds surveyed met the criteria for at least one of the six disorders included in the study. By far the highest percentage was ADHD, with 8.6%, followed by depression with 3.7%. The other four disorders included in the study were generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, eating disorders, and conduct disorder.

The lead author of the study, Kathleen Merikangas, Ph.D., of NIMH noted that “with the exception of ADHD, the prevalence rates reported here are generally lower than those reported in other published findings of mental disorders in children, but they are comparable to other studies that employed similar methods and criteria.”

Still 13% seems like a significant portion of America’s youth. I really wish I could read (for free) the rest of the report, because maybe it would answer some of my questions…

• Why weren’t bipolar and schizophrenia included in the study?
• If ADHD is the most prevalent mental disorder among 8 to 15 year olds, what is its prevalence among older adolescents and adults? Does something happen to cause it to fade, or does its prevalence actually increase with age? Or does ADHD turn into another disorder like bipolar or schizophrenia?
• What was the rationale for choosing this age group?
• Why weren’t substance abuse disorders included?

I would imagine (and hope) that the report includes data on the prevalence of the disorders within a smaller age range, because the life concerns and experiences of a child change dramatically from age 8 to 15. It would seem more appropriate to me to at split this group in half, and give the statistics separately from 8 to 11, say, and 12 to 15.

Hopefully I’ll find a way to access the full article so I can give it closer consideration.