Mental Health

The FDA has permitted marketing of the first, prescription-only medical device for ADHD — the Monarch external Trigeminal Nerve Stimulation, or eTNS, System — for children aged 7 to12 years not currently taking prescription ADHD medication, according to a press release.

Results from a large, updated meta-analysis published in Journal of Clinical Psychiatry confirmed that the rates of bipolar spectrum disorders among youth were not higher in the United States than in other Western countries, nor were the rates increasing over time.

The prevalence of autism spectrum disorder was higher in 2014 than in 2010 among children aged 4 years, according to CDC data from the Early Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network.

In a large birth cohort study, researchers found that preschool-aged children who had 2 hours of screen time per day were at increased risk for clinically significant externalizing problems, inattention problems and ADHD.

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recently concluded there is insufficient evidence to determine the balance and harms of screening for elevated blood lead levels in asymptomatic pregnant women and children aged 5 years and younger.

Researchers have identified a surge in the number of American children presenting to EDs who have considered or attempted suicide. They estimated that the number of ED visits nearly doubled between 2007 and 2015.

About 13% of infants survive to discharge when they are born weighing less than 400 g — or slightly less than 1 pound — and those who do survive face an increased risk for neurodevelopmental impairment. However, researchers said active treatment considerably improves the infants’ chances of survival.

Study findings indicated that young people seeking help for maltreatment disclosed their experiences through short message services-based crisis services.

Researchers found that adversity early in life was associated with increased gastrointestinal symptoms in children and that this adversity-induced gastrointestinal distress was associated with future anxiety, according to data published in Development and Psychopathology.

Infections during pregnancy have been linked to behavioral problems in children. According to recent findings, however, higher levels of the vitamin B nutrient choline can promote greater self-regulation in infants of mothers who experienced infection during gestation.