CHAPTER  14

Disorders of Childhood and Adolescence

Many of the mental disorders described in previous chapters do not develop until early or middle adulthood. There are some problems, however, that develop in childhood and adolescence. Some of these are unique to childhood, such as hyperactivity, and other problems, such as withdrawal, may be forerunners of serious adult psychopathology like depression or schizoid behavior. Thus, it is ill-advised to assume that children are simply "mini-adults." This chapter discusses the types of problems seen in children and adolescents, including attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, conduct disorder, anxiety disorders, childhood depression, enuresis, encopresis, sleepwalking, and tics, as well as delinquency. In each instance, there is an attempt to indicate the long-range outcome for the problem. It is important to place emphasis on the treatment of children and adolescents, because it is hoped that successful treatment at these stages may prevent the occurrence of more serious pathology.

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