Introduction
What would cause a child to have a mental illness? Mental illness occurs in children in much the way it occurs in adults or any other individual. Much of the time, in current thinking, it is a result of genetics, psychosocial stressors, and often a combination of both of those factors. However, you could have an illness based on genetics alone or psychosocial stressors alone, but the predisposition certainly facilitates a mental health issue.
Diagnoses Usually First Diagnosed in Childhood (DSM-IV-TR)
To start out, we are going to look at some diagnoses first usually diagnosed in childhood according to the DSM-IV-TR, The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, as noted in Figure 1. This is the fourth edition text revision that was used until the publication of DSM-V in 2013. We will talk about these diagnoses first and then I will also be talking about changes that the publication of DSM-V facilitated in terms of looking at children's disorders. All of these disorders, that I am going to discuss, were initially in a section of the DSM-IV-TR, which are disorders first identified in infancy, childhood, and adolescence. This is why we are speaking about these first. Also, that section of the DSM-IV-TR does not exist in DSM-V, and I will talk about that in a minute.
Figure 1. Diagnoses first diagnosed in childhoot according to DSM-IV-TR.
Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
I am sure many of you are familiar with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, characterized by prominent symptoms of inattention or hyperactivity and impulsivity. This is the child that cannot stay seated in the classroom, that calls out before a question is even fully posed, has trouble maintaining body space, is fidgety, or, with the inattentive type, cannot follow directions, cannot keep up with school work, and is easily distractable.
Oppositional Defiant Disorder
Oppositional defiant disorder, characterized by a pattern of negativistic, hostile, and defiant behavior. This is a very aptly named disorder. This is a child that opposes adult directions and defies rules that are set by adults and is frequently hostile. They can be very difficult to parent or to have in the classroom due to their inability to follow instructions.
