The statistics on physical child abuse are alarming. It is estimated hundreds of thousands of children are physically abused each year by a parent or...
ADD & ADHD
When many people think of ADHD, they picture an out-of-control kid in constant motion, bouncing off the walls and disrupting everyone around. But this is...
ADHD – Children Who Can’t Pay Attention
Parents are distressed when they receive a note from school saying that their child won’t listen to the teacher or causes trouble in class. One...
Adopted Children
Approximately 120,000 children are adopted each year in the United States. Children with physical, developmental, or emotional handicaps who were once considered unadoptable are now...
Advocating for your Child
According to Mental Health: A Report of the Surgeon General (1999), one in five will experience signs and symptoms of a psychiatric disorder during the course...
Alcohol and Other Drugs in Teens
Experimentation with alcohol and drugs during adolescence is common. Unfortunately, teenagers often don’t see the link between their actions today and the consequences tomorrow. They...
Alcoholics & Children
One in five adult Americans lived with an alcoholic while growing up. Child and adolescent psychiatrists know these children are at greater risk for having...
Anxiety and Children
All children experience anxiety. Anxiety in children is expected and normal at specific times in development. For example, from approximately age eight months through the...
Asperger’s Disorder
Asperger’s Disorder is the term for a specific type of pervasive developmental disorder which is characterized by problems in development of social skills and behavior....
Autism in Children
Most infants and young children are very social creatures who need and want contact with others to thrive and grow. They smile, cuddle, laugh, and...
Bedwetting
Most children begin to stay dry at night around three years of age. When a child has a problem with bedwetting (enuresis) after that age,...
Bipolar Disorder in Children and Teens
Children and teenagers with Bipolar Disorder have manic and/or depressive symptoms. Some may have mostly depression and others a combination of manic and depressive symptoms....
Bullying
Bullying is a common experience for many children and adolescents. Surveys indicate that as many as half of all children are bullied at some time...
Children with Conduct Disorder
“Conduct disorder” refers to a group of behavioral and emotional problems in youngsters. Children and adolescents with this disorder have great difficulty following rules and...
Comprehensive Psychiatric Evaluation
Evaluation by a child and adolescent psychiatrist is appropriate for any child or adolescent with emotional and/or behavioral problems. Most children and adolescents with serious...
Continuum of Care for Children and Adolescents
Communities provide different types of treatment programs and services for children and adolescents with mental illnesses. A complete range of programs and services is called...
Day Care: Making it a Good Experience
Child and adolescent psychiatrists recognize that the ideal environment for raising a small child is in the home with parents and family. Some experts recommend...
Depression in Children
Not only adults become depressed. Children and teenagers also may have depression as well. The good news is that depression is a treatable illness. Depression...
Discipline
Children do not always do what parents want. When a child misbehaves, the parent must decide how to respond. All children need rules and expectations...
Divorce and Children
One out of every two marriages today ends in divorce and many divorcing families include children. Parents who are getting a divorce are frequently worried...
Fetal Alcohol Effects (FAE) – Drinking Alcohol during Pregnancy
According to the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, pregnant women should not drink any alcohol. Women who are thinking of becoming pregnant need to be...
Fighting and Biting
All people have aggressive feelings. As adults, we learn how to control these feelings. Children, however, are often physically aggressive–they hit, bite and scratch others....
Foster Care
Over 500,000 children in the U.S. currently reside in some form of foster care. Placements in foster care have dramatically increased over the past 10...
Grandparents Raising Grandchildren
Grandparents are an important resource for both parents and children. They routinely provide child care, financial assistance and emotional support. Occasionally they are called upon...
Grief and Children
When a family member dies, children react differently from adults. Preschool children usually see death as temporary and reversible, a belief reinforced by cartoon characters...
Helping Your Child: When to Seek Professional Help
Parents are usually the first to recognize that their child has a problem with emotions or behavior. Still, the decision to seek professional help can...
Home Alone
Every day thousands of children arrive home from school to an empty house. Every week thousands of parents make decisions to leave children home alone...
Internet Usage Among Children
Computers have traditionally been trusted by both children and adults as reliable and accurate sources of information. The rapid growth of online services and Internet...
Learning Disabilities Children
Parents are often worried when their child has learning problems in school. There are many reasons for school failure, but a common one is a...
Longterm Illness Child
The child with a serious medical illness is at greater risk for developing emotional problems. Unlike a child with a temporary sickness such as the...
Lying & Children
Honesty and dishonesty are learned in the home. Parents are often concerned when their child or adolescent lies. Lying that is probably not a serious...
Mental Illnesses: Talking to Kids
Kids are naturally curious and have questions about mental illnesses. Understanding mental illnesses can be challenging for adults as well as for children. Myths, confusion,...
Mentally Retarded Children
The term “mental retardation” is often misunderstood and seen as derogatory. Some think that retardation is diagnosed only on the basis of below-normal intelligence (IQ),...
Military Families
Global conflict and unrest have led to deployment of large numbers of military personnel (active duty, Reserves, National Guard). As a result of duty assignments,...
Military Families: Adjusting to the Coming Home
Military families look forward to being together after a long deployment with many mixed emotions. Each family member will have different expectations. Every family situation...
Movies and Children
Watching movies, videos, and DVDs can be a fun activity in which children and adolescents can use their imagination and fantasy. Parents should, however, consider...
Moving and Children
Moving to a new community may be one of the most stress-producing experiences a family faces. Frequent moves or even a single move can be...
Multiracial Children
Multiracial children are one of the fastest growing segments of the U.S. population. The number of mixed-race families in America is steadily increasing, due to...
Music and Music Videos
Singing and music have always played an important role in learning and the communication of culture. Children learn from the role models what they see...
News and Children
Children often see or hear the news many times a day through television, radio, newspapers, magazines, and the Internet. Seeing and hearing about local and...
Normal Adolescent Development 1
Middle School and Early High School Years Parents are often worried or confused by changes in their teenagers. The following information should help parents understand...
Obesity in Children and Teens
The problem of childhood obesity in the United States has grown considerably in recent years. Between 16 and 33 percent of children and adolescents are...
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder in Children and Adolescents
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) usually begins in adolescence or young adulthood and is seen in as many as one in 200 children and adolescents. OCD is...
Oppositional Defiant Disorder in Children
All children are oppositional from time to time, particularly when tired, hungry, stressed or upset. They may argue, talk back, disobey, and defy parents, teachers,...
Panic Disorder in Children and Adolescents
Panic disorder is a common and treatable disorder. Children and adolescents with panic disorder have unexpected and repeated periods of intense fear or discomfort, along...
Parenting: Preparing for Adolescence
Parenting can be the most rewarding work of adult life. Nothing brings more joy and pride than a happy, productive, and loving child. Each age...
Parents with Mental Illnesses
Mental illnesses in parents represent a risk for children in the family. These children have a higher risk for developing mental illnesses than other children....
Pets and Children
Pets are part of many children’s lives. Parental involvement, open discussion, and planning are necessary to help make pet ownership a positive experience for everyone....
Pet’s Death
For many children, their first real experience with loss occurs when a pet dies. When a pet dies, children need consolation, love, support, and affection...
Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
All children and adolescents experience stressful events which can affect them both emotionally and physically. Their reactions to stress are usually brief, and they recover...
Psychiatrist
The child and adolescent psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in the diagnosis and the treatment of disorders of thinking, feeling and/or behavior affecting children,...
Psychotherapies for Children and Adolescents
Psychotherapy is a form of psychiatric treatment that involves therapeutic conversations and interactions between a therapist and a child or family. It can help children...
Psychotherapy for Children and Adolescents
Psychotherapy refers to a variety of techniques and methods used to help children and adolescents who are experiencing difficulties with their emotions or behavior. Although...
Reactive Attachment Disorder
Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD) is a complex psychiatric illness that can affect young children. It is characterized by serious problems in emotional attachments to others...
Schizophrenia in Children
Schizophrenia is a serious psychiatric illness that causes strange thinking, strange feelings, and unusual behavior. It is uncommon in children and is hard to recognize...
Selective Mutism: A Guide for Teachers
Selective mutism is a childhood anxiety disorder characterized by a child’s ”inability” to speak in various social settings. These children are able to speak at...
Self-Injury in Adolescents
Self-injury is the act of deliberately destroying body tissue, at times to change a way of feeling. Self-injury is seen differently by groups and cultures...
Separation Anxiety (Children Who Won’t Go to School)
Going to school is usually an exciting and enjoyable event for young children. However, for some, it can cause intense fear or panic. Parents should...
Services in School for Children with Special Needs: What Parents need to Know
Some children experience difficulties in school, ranging from problems with concentration, learning, language, and perception to problems with behavior and/or making and keeping friends. These...
Sex (Talking to your Kids about Sex)
Talking to your children about love, intimacy, and sex is an important part of parenting. Parents can be very helpful by creating a comfortable atmosphere...
Sexual Abuse of a Child
Child sexual abuse has been reported up to 80,000 times a year, but the number of unreported instances is far greater, because the children are...
Sleep Problems with Children
Many children have sleep problems. Examples include: Frequent awakening during the night Talking during sleep Difficulty falling asleep Waking up crying Feeling sleepy during the...
Soiling and Bowel Control Problems
Most children can control their bowels and are toilet trained by the time they are four years of age. Problems controlling bowel movements can cause...
Sports and Children
Sports help children develop physical skills, get exercise, make friends, have fun, learn to play as a member of a team, learn to play fair,...
Starting School
Starting school is a major milestone for children and parents. School is a place away from home where a child will have some of his...
Steal (Children Who Steal)
When a child or teenager steals, parents are naturally concerned. They worry about what caused their child to steal, and they wonder whether their son...
Stress
Teenagers, like adults, may experience stress everyday and can benefit from learning stress management skills. Most teens experience more stress when they perceive a situation...
Substance Abuse for Treatment for Children and Adolescents: Questions to Ask
Many children and adolescents use alcohol and other drugs. Some develop serious problems which require professional help to control. Such as inpatient treatment, outpatient treatment,...
Suicide
Suicides among young people continue to be a serious problem. Each year in the U.S., thousands of teenagers commit suicide. Suicide is the third leading...
Teens Driving Safely
A driver’s license is one of the biggest status symbols among high school students. Getting a driver’s license is not only a social asset but...
Terrorism and War: Talking to Children about it
In today’s world, parents are faced with the challenge of explaining violence, terrorism and war to children. Although difficult, these conversations are extremely important. They...
The Teen Brain: Behavior, Problem Solving, and Decision Making
Many parents do not understand why their teenagers occasionally behave in an impulsive, irrational, or dangerous way. At times, it seems like they don’t think...
Threats: When are they Serious?
Every year there are tragedies in which children shoot and kill individuals after making threats. When this occurs, everyone asks themselves, “How could this happen?”...
Tourette Syndrome
Tourette syndrome (also called Tourette’s syndrome, Tourette’s disorder, Gilles de la Tourette syndrome, GTS or, more commonly, simply Tourette’s or TS) is an inherited neuropsychiatric...
Trichotillomania (Hair Pulling)
It is common for children and adolescents to play with their hair. However, frequent or obsessive hair pulling can lead to serious problems. The medical...
TV & Children
Television viewing is a major activity and influence on children and adolescents. Children in the United States watch an average of three to four hours...
TV Violence
American children watch an average of three to four hours of television daily. Television can be a powerful influence in developing value systems and shaping...
Videogames and Children: Playing with Violence
Video gaming (playing video games) has become a popular activity for people of all ages. Many children and adolescents spend large amounts of time playing...
Violent Behavior in Children and Adolescents
There is a great concern about the incidence of violent behavior among children and adolescents. This complex and troubling issue needs to be carefully understood...
Acute Stress Disorder
Acute stress disorder refers to the anxiety and behavioral disturbances that develop within the first month after exposure to an extreme trauma. Generally, the symptoms...
Adjustment Disorder
In psychology, adjustment disorder (AD) is a classification of mental disorder that is a psychological response from an identifiable stressor or group of stressors that...
Alcohol Dependence
Diagnostic Features: Alcohol Dependence is a condition characterized by the harmful consequences of repeated alcohol use, a pattern of compulsive alcohol use, and (sometimes) physiological...
Alzheimer’s Disease (AD)
Alzheimer, also called Alzheimer disease, Senile Dementia of the Alzheimer Type (SDAT) or simply Alzheimer’s, is the most common form of dementia. This incurable, degenerative,...
Bell’s Palsy
What is Bell’s palsy? Bell’s palsy is a paralysis or weakness of the muscles on one side of your face. Damage to the facial nerve...
Bipolar Disorders
Bipolar I Bipolar I Disorder is one of the most severe forms of mental illness and is characterized by recurrent episodes of mania and (more...
Blepharospasm
Symptomatology of Blepharospasm Blepharospasm is a focal dystonia characterized by excessive involuntary contraction of the orbicularis oculi muscles, leading to repetitive blinking or sustained closure...
Borderline Personality Disorder
Borderline personality disorder (BPD), is a psychiatric diagnosis that describes a long-term disturbance of personality function. It is one of four related diagnoses classified as...
Bulimia Nervosa
Bulimia nervosa is a cyclical and recurring pattern of binge eating (uncontrolled bursts of overeating) followed by guilt, self-recrimination and overcompensatory behavior such as crash...
Cataplexy
This condition causes loss of muscle tone while you’re awake. Muscle weakness occurs in certain parts of your body or in your whole body. Cataplexy...
Cerebral Palsy
Cerebral Palsy is caused by damage to the brain that results in impaired muscle movement and coordination. Most children who are diagnosed with cerebral palsy...
Chronic Pain
While acute pain is a normal sensation triggered in the nervous system to alert you to possible injury and the need to take care of...
Communication Disorder
A Communication Disorder – speech and language disorders which refer to problems in communication and in related areas such as oral motor function. The delays and disorders...
Conduct Disorder
What is conduct disorder? Children with conduct disorder repeatedly violate the personal or property rights of others and the basic expectations of society. A diagnosis...
Conversion Disorder
This is a condition where patients present with neurological symptoms such as numbness, blindness, paralysis, or fits, but where no neurological explanation is possible Symptoms...
Counseling
The decision to seek counseling is an intensely personal one and should be made with the confidence that you will be receiving expert, professional care....
Creutzfeldt – Jakob Disease
Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) is a rare, degenerative, invariably fatal brain disorder. It affects about one person in every one million people per year worldwide; in...
Cychlothymic Disorder
Cyclothymia symptoms are characterized by an alternating pattern of emotional highs and lows. The highs of cyclothymia are called hypomania, a milder form of mania....
Dependent Personality Disorder (DPD)
Dependent Personality Disorder (of the group of anxious personality disorders) is a personality disorder that is characterized by a pervasive psychological dependence on other people. DPD...
Depersonalization Disorder (DPD)
Depersonalization disorder is a dissociative disorder is characterized by periods of feeling disconnected or detached from one’s body and thoughts (depersonalization or derealization). Experiencing depersonalization disorder...
Depression (Major Depressive Disorder)
Major Depressive Disorder is a condition characterized by one or more Major Depressive Episodes without a history of Manic, Mixed, or Hypomanic Episodes. These Major...
Dissociative Fugue
Formerly called psychogenic fugue, dissociative fugue is one of subtypes of dissociative disorders. People with dissociative fugue suddenly and temporarily lose their sense of personal identity and...
Dissociative Identity Disorder
Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) is a psychiatric diagnosis that describes a condition in which a person displays multiple distinct identities or personalities (known as alter egos...
Dysthymic Disorder
Diagnostic Features: Dysthymic Disorder is a chronic condition characterized by depressive symptoms that occur for most of the day, more days than not, for at...
Eating Disorders
An eating disorder is to eat, or avoid eating, which negatively affects both one’s physical and mental health. Eating disorders are all encompassing. They affect...
EEG
Electroencephalography (EEG) is the recording of electrical activity along the scalp produced by the firing of neurons within the brain. In clinical contexts, EEG refers...
Electrocardiogram
The electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG) is a diagnostic tool that measures and records the electrical activity of the heart in exquisite detail. Interpretation of these...
EMG/NCS
Nerve conduction study (NCS) Nerve conduction studies are preformed first. The goal of the test is to study your nerves. This is done by taping...
Epilepsy
Seizures are the only visible symptom of epilepsy. There are different kinds of seizures, and symptoms of each type can affect people differently. Seizures typically...
Grief Counseling Resource Guide: A field Manual
This manual has been developed as a guide for those who encounter individuals reacting to trauma related grief reactions in the course of their outreach...
Guillain-Barré Syndrome
What is Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS)? Guillain-Barré syndrome (say “ghee-YAN bah-RAY”) is a problem with your nervous system. It causes muscle weakness, loss of reflexes, and...
Hallucinations
Hallucinations involve sensing things – whether visual (sight), auditory (hearing), olfactory (smell), or gustatory (taste) – while awake that appear to be real, but instead...
Headache
What is a headache? Headache is defined as pain in the head or upper neck. It is one of the most common locations of pain...
Histrionic Personality Disorder (HPD)
Histrionic Personality Disorder is a personality disorder characterized by a pattern of excessive emotionality and attention-seeking, including an excessive need for approval and inappropriate seductiveness,...
Insomnia
What Is Insomnia? Insomnia (in-SOM-ne-ah) is a common condition in which you have trouble falling or staying asleep. This condition can range from mild to...
Intermittent Explosive Disorder (IED)
Intermittent explosive disorder (IED) is a mental disturbance that is characterized by specific episodes of violent and aggressive behavior that may involve harm to others or...
Learning Disability
Learning Disability is a general term that describes specific kinds of learning problems. A learning disability can cause a person to have trouble learning and...
Learning Disorders
In the United States and Canada, the terms learning disability, learning disabilities, and learning disorders (LD) refer to a group of disorders that affect a...
Lumbar Puncture
A lumbar puncture (also called a spinal tap) is a procedure to collect and look at the fluid (cerebrospinal fluid, or CSF) surrounding the brain...
Meningitis
What is meningitis? Meningitis is an infection of the coverings around the brain and spinal cord. The infection occurs most often in children, teens, and...
Mental Retardation
Mental retardation is generally characterized by significantly sub-average intellectual functioning (IQ of 70 or below), but different degrees of severity of mental retardation exist based...
Migraine
Overview A migraine headache is a throbbing or pulsating headache that is often one sided (unilateral) and associated with nausea; vomiting; sensitivity to light, sound,...
Multiple Sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis (abbreviated MS, also known as disseminated sclerosis orencephalomyelitis disseminata) is an autoimmune condition in which the immune system attacks the central nervous system, leading...
Muscular Dystrophy
Muscular dystrophy (MD) is a genetic disorder that weakens the muscles that help the body move. People with MD have incorrect or missing information in...
Myalgia
Myalgia means “muscle pain” and is a symptom of many diseases and disorders. The most common causes are the overuse or over-stretching of a muscle or...
Myasthenia Gravis
Myasthenia gravis is a chronic autoimmune neuromuscular disease characterized by varying degrees of weakness of the skeletal (voluntary) muscles of the body. The hallmark of...
Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD)
Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) is a personality disorder defined by theDiagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM IV-R), the diagnostic classification system used in the...
Narcolepsy
What Is Narcolepsy? Narcolepsy (NAR-ko-lep-se) is a disorder that causes periods of extreme daytime sleepiness. It also may cause muscle weakness. Rarely, people who have...
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
It’s normal, on occasion, to go back and double-check that the iron is unplugged or your car is locked. But in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), obsessive...
Pain Disorder
Panic disorder is characterized by the spontaneous and unexpected occurrence of panic attacks, the frequency of which can vary from several attacks a day to...
Paranoid Personality Disorder
Paranoid Personality Disorder is a psychiatric diagnosis characterized by paranoia characterized by a pervasive and long-standing suspiciousness and generalized mistrust of others (DSM-IV). For a...
Parkinson’s Disease
Parkinson’s Disease (PD) belongs to a group of conditions called motor system disorders, which are the result of the loss of dopamine-producing brain cells. The...
Pathological Gambling
Pathological Gambling - is now defined as persistent and recurrent maladaptive gambling behavior meeting at least five of the following criteria, as long as these behaviors...
Personality Disorder
Personality Disorder, formerly referred to as a Character Disorder, is a class of mental disorders characterized by rigid and on-going patterns of thought and action...
Pervasive Developmental Disorders (PDD)
Pervasive developmental disorders (PDD), as opposed to specific developmental disorders (SDD), refers to a group of five disorders characterized by delays in the development of...
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is an anxiety disorder that can develop after exposure to one or more traumatic events that threatened or caused grave physical...
Psychogenic Amnesia
Psychogenic amnesia (also known as functional or dissociative amnesia) is a disorder characterized by abnormal memory functioning not caused by any structural brain damage or known...
Reactive Attachment Disorder of Infancy or Early Childhood
Reactive attachment disorder is a problem with social interaction that occurs when a child’s basic physical and emotional needs are neglected, particularly when the child...
Restless Legs Syndrome
Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a disorder that causes a strong urge to move your legs. This urge to move often occurs with strange and...
Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a serious mental illness characterized by a disintegration of the process of thinking, of contact with reality, and of emotional responsiveness. Thought problems are...
Scoliosis
What is scoliosis? Scoliosis is a disorder that causes an abnormal curve of the spine, or backbone. The spine has normal curves when looking from...
Sedative, Hypnotic or Anxiolytic Dependence
This is a condition where individuals become dependent on or abuse substances used for their calming effect (sedatives), sleep-inducing effect (hypnotics), and anti-anxiety effect (anxiolytics)....
Separation Anxiety Disorder
Separation anxiety disorder is a psychological condition in which an individual experiences excessive anxiety regarding separation from home or from people to whom the individual has...
Sleep Apnea
What Is Sleep Apnea? Sleep apnea is a common disorder in which you have one or more pauses in breathing or shallow breaths while you...
Sleep Disorders
Sleep Disorders Sleep disorder is defined as any difficulties related to sleeping, including: Falling asleep at inappropriate times, Difficulty falling or staying asleep, Abnormal behaviors...
Sleep Paralysis
This condition prevents you from moving or speaking while falling asleep or waking up. However, you’re fully conscious (aware) during this time. Sleep paralysis usually...
Sleep Studies
What Are Sleep Studies? Sleep studies allow doctors to measure how much and how well you sleep. They also help show whether you have sleep...
Social Phobia
Diagnostic Features: Social Phobia is a condition characterized by a marked and persistent fear of social or performance situations in which embarrassment may occur. Exposure...
Somatoform Disorder
Somatoform disorder (also known as Briquette’s syndrome) is a mental disorder characterized by physical symptoms that mimic physical disease or injury for which there is...
Specific Phobia
Diagnostic Features The essential feature of Specific Phobia is marked and persistent fear of clearly discernible, circumscribed objects or situations (Criterion A). Exposure to the...
Stroke
A stroke is the rapidly developing loss of brain function(s) due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to...
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) or crib death is a syndrome marked by the sudden death of an infant that is unexpected by history and remains...
Syncope
Syncope refers to a sudden loss of consciousness often accompanied with collapse, more commonly known as a blackout or faint. Syncope is caused by a...
Tic Disorders
A tic is a problem in which a part of the body moves repeatedly, quickly, suddenly and uncontrollably. Tics can occur in any body part,...
Torticollis
Torticollis occurs when a state of inadequate muscle tone in the muscles of the neck exist.These muscles, used to control the position of the head, cannot...
Traumatic Brain Injury
Traumatic brain injury(TBI), also called acquired brain injury or simply head injury, occurs when a sudden trauma causes damage to the brain. TBI can result...
Trigger Point Injection
Trigger point injection (TPI) may be an option in treating pain for some patients. TPI is a procedure used to treat painful areas of muscle...