Mental Disorder Definitions
These following definitions are
provided for your information. They are not meant to diagnose your child,
they are provided as definitions only. Please consult a physician or other
professional if you have questions regarding your child's emotional or
mental health.
Anxiety Disorders
These can include Separation Anxiety, characterized by fear of
leaving home or of losing his or her parents; Overanxious
Disorder, a generalized excessive worry about almost everything,
possibly with perfectionist tendencies; Avoidance Disorder, an
acute shyness and fear of being judged, this is the childhood
version of social phobia; Panic Disorder, characterized by
sweating, shaking, a pounding heart, nausea and even a fear of
dying.
Asperger's Syndrome
These individuals may be preoccupied with a particular subject
of interest. They have a great deal of difficulty reading nonverbal cues and
very often have difficulty determining proper body space. Often overly
sensitive to sounds, tastes, smells, and sights, the person may prefer soft
clothing, certain foods, and be bothered by sounds or lights no one else
hears or sees. They have a normal or high IQ and may exhibit exceptional
skill in a specific area. Because of their high degree of functionality and
their naiveté, they are often viewed as eccentric. While language
development seems normal, they often have deficits in pragmatics and
prosody. Vocabularies may be extraordinarily rich and some children sound
like "little professors." However, they can be extremely literal and have
difficulty using language in a social context. Asperger's Syndrome is
presently described as an autism spectrum disorder.
Bipolar Disorder
A pattern of manic "highs" and depressive "lows" or a
combination of manic energy with a depressed mood characterizes pediatric
bipolar disorder. The child may be easily irritated, inattentive,
hypersexual or easily enraged. He or she may have multiple mood shifts or
seem like two different people. The child can be charming, funny and bright,
but also bossy and difficult to live with at home and in school.
Conduct Disorder
Common symptoms of Conduct Disorder include aggression,
destructiveness, deceitfulness, truancy, and lack of remorse. They can be
bullies fond of using weapons and often demonstrate cruelty toward people
and animals. Boys tend to outnumber girls with this disorder.
Depression
Some 2% of children and 8% of adolescents may suffer from
depression. Indicators are often found in changes in schoolwork habits,
aches and pains that have no physical basis, negative self-judgment,
irritability or aggressiveness. The child may become withdrawn or lethargic
or have problems with sleep.
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
On the obsessive side this may include excessive fears such as
fear of germs or perceived dangers or a need for symmetry and perfection; in
the compulsive aspect ritual or repetitive actions are common. Boys are
twice as likely as girls to have this common disorder; the peak age is
around 10 years, although it can start much earlier.
Oppositional Defiant Disorder
Characterized by inflexible behavior, the child with
Oppositional Defiant Disorder can be defiant, hostile, argumentative with
adults, belligerent, resentful of spiteful. They may feel entitled to be
unreasonable in their demands and tend to blame others for their problems.
The condition is most common in boys.
Pediatric-onset Schizophrenia
Although rare under the age of 15 this condition can be severe
when it does occur. The child may show symptoms of other emotional
disturbances such as conduct disorder, depression or ADHD. They may show
inappropriate emotion or be confused about what is real, including seeing or
hearing things that are not there.
