Mental Health

Children with intellectual difficulty or autism are more likely to be prescribed antipsychotic medications than those with a psychotic diagnosis and are prescribed antipsychotics at a younger age and for a longer period, according to research findings.

Transgender and gender-nonconforming children and adolescents experienced higher levels of mental health conditions when compared with matched reference groups, according to study results published in Pediatrics.

Researchers identified increased blood levels of vitamin D-binding protein in adolescents with bipolar disorder compared with children without mood disorders, indicating higher levels of this protein may play a role in identifying the disorder.

The epidemiological shift from infectious diseases to mental disorders as the main cause of disability-adjusted life-years that took place in Europe and the Americas has left mental illnesses as a leading cause of disease burden in children aged 5 to 14 years, study findings indicated.

Symptoms of disordered eating behavior were associated with later depressive symptoms and bullying in adolescence, according to study results published in JAMA Psychiatry.

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor use during pregnancy may be associated with fetal brain development, particularly in regions critical to emotional processing, according to study results recently published in JAMA Pediatrics.

A pediatric primary care program that promoted reading out loud and playing with children aged 0 to 5 years resulted in a reduction of hyperactivity and attention problems at the age when the children started school, according to study results published in Pediatrics.

Study findings published in the Journal of Adolescent Health showed that young transgender persons who used their chosen name at work, school and home instead of the name given to them at birth reported fewer depressive symptoms and less suicidal thoughts and behaviors.

Study results showed that the effects of fragile X gene expression on the development of connectivity in white matter brain structures are well-established when a child is as young as 6 months old.

Research published in JAMA Psychiatry showed that children aged 6 to 12 years presenting with high irritability and depressive/anxious mood were twice as likely to have suicidal thoughts or attempt suicide in adolescence than children with low irritability and depressive/anxious mood.