This is both an exciting and challenging time to be a child and adolescent psychiatrist. New findings from basic science, genetics, and imaging are changing… Read More
Autism is demanding increased attention by professional and lay audiences; prevalence seems to be increasing. There are differing opinions about… Read More
In essence, screen media constitute neurologically potent, arousing input to the developing brain. Unlike conventional toxins, their effects are mediated by… Read More
Clinicians who treat children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) face a challenging conundrum. Although our understanding of ADHD and its evidence-based treatments has increased… Read More
Ongoing advances in functional brain imaging will permit studies on postulated roles of magnetic fields, biophotons, and macroscopic highly coherent... More »
Here, Dr Jon E. Grant talks about the genetics, neurobiology, and cognitive processes of body-focused repetitive behaviors, which include trichotillomania, skin picking, and other behaviors.
In this final of a 3-part podcast series, Brian Smith, MD, discusses the how’s, the why’s, and the treatment options for adolescents who harm themselves.
In this podcast, Dr Smith discusses the practice of nonsuicidal self-injury in adolescents—cutting, burning, self-hitting or banging, scratching, interfering with wound healing—may be increasing.
To review child and adolescent weight-related health intervention characteristics, with a particular focus on levels of parental participation, and examine differences in intervention effectiveness.|Multiple social science, health, and medical databases were searched, and experimental randomized controlled studies of child and adolescent weight-related health interventions, reported in January 2004 through December 2010, were collected. Intervention characteristics were reviewed, and pre- and post-measurement data, including body mass index, were extracted for analyses. Differences in effect sizes of experimental and control groups were used to evaluate effectiveness of interventions.|Reports of 42 interventions were included. Intervention activities consisted of nutrition education, physical activity education, physical activity sessions, behavior education, behavior therapy, or a combination of these activities. Significant differences existed among levels of parent participation,
In adults, second-generation antipsychotics (SGAs) have a low frequency of extrapyramidal syndrome (EPS) and a moderate frequency of metabolic adverse effects. Here we aimed to assess short-term adverse effects of SGAs in children and adolescents. We searched for relevant studies in MEDLINE and EMBASE (1996-2010), Food and Drug Administration and European Medicines Agency clinical trial registries, and reference lists of review articles. We found 41 were short-term (3-12 weeks) controlled studies that evaluated SGA adverse effects in youths. Using Bayesian meta-analysis, we analyzed odds ratios (ORs) or mean average effects. Numbers of arms (subjects) in the 41 trials were aripiprazole, 10 (n = 671); olanzapine, 14 (n = 413); quetiapine, 10 (n = 446); risperidone, 25 (n = 1040); ziprasidone, 4 (n = 228); clozapine, 5 (n = 79); and placebo/untreated, 23 (n = 1138), totaling 93 arms (4015 patients). Clozapine was assessed only for weight gain and somnolence. Compared with placebo,
This Practice Parameter describes the principles of psychodynamic psychotherapy with children and is based on clinical consensus and available research evidence. It presents guidelines for the practice of child psychodynamic psychotherapy, including indications and contraindications, the setting, verbal and interactive (play) techniques, work with the parents, and criteria for termination.
We conducted a meta-analysis of epidemiological studies investigating the association between maternal age and autism.|Using recommended guidelines for performing meta-analyses, we systematically selected, and extracted results from, epidemiological scientific studies reported before January 2012. We calculated pooled risk estimates comparing categories of advancing maternal age with and without adjusting for possible confounding factors. We investigated the influence of gender ratio among cases, ratio of infantile autism to autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and median year of diagnosis as effect moderators in mixed-effect meta-regression.|We found 16 epidemiological papers fulfilling the a priori search criteria. The meta-analysis included 25,687 ASD cases and 8,655,576 control subjects. Comparing mothers 35 years with mothers 25 to 29 years old, the crude relative risk (RR) for autism in the offspring was 1.52 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.12-1.92). Comparing mothers 35
This meta-analysis aimed to determine the overall prevalence of emotional and behavioural disorders among children and adolescents in Germany, the dependence of prevalence estimates upon the methods employed and potential secular trends.|Primary studies were subjected to meta-analytical analyses using a random effects model. Mean estimates of primary study effects were averaged using the precision-weighted method and were subsequently subjected to sensitivity analyses using hierarchical regression and (co-)variance analyses.|The precision-weighted average primary study prevalence for the 33 studies included was M=17.6%. The effect size primarily depended on the case definition employed, with studies applying questionnaire criteria showing, on average, lower primary study effects. Moreover, a negative relationship was found between study validity and primary study effect.|Half a century of research efforts indicate that approximately every sixth child shows signs of emotional or
Engl. J. Med. 399-401 10.1056/NEJMp1215605 Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, Weill Cornell Medical College and New York-Presbyterian Hospital, New York, USA.
The authors sought to document, in adult and pediatric patient populations, the development, descriptive statistics,and test-retest reliability of cross-cutting symptom measures proposed for inclusion in DSM-5.|Data were collected as part of the multisite DSM-5 Field Trials in large academic settings. There were seven sites focusing on adult patients and four sites focusing on child and adolescent patients.Cross-cutting symptom measures were self-completed by the patient or an informant before the test and the retest interviews, which were conducted from 4 hours to 2 weeks apart. Clinician-report measures were completed during or after the clinical diagnostic interviews. Informants included adult patients, child patients age 11 and older, parents of all child patients age 6 and older, and legal guardians for adult patients unable to self-complete the measures. Study patients were sampled in a stratified design,and sampling weights were used in data analyses. The mean scores and
Inappropriate complementary feeding practices have led to, in part, significant disparities in growth and nutritional status between rural and urban children in China. A cluster-randomised, controlled trial was implemented in Laishui, China to assess the effectiveness of an educational intervention on caregivers' feeding practices and children's growth. Eight townships were randomly assigned to the intervention or control. Five hundred ninety-nine healthy infants were enrolled at 2-4 months old, and were followed up at ages 6, 9, 12, 15 and 18 months. The intervention group received information on enhanced home-prepared recipes and food preparation and hygiene through group training, counselling and home visit. Key outcomes were children's physical growth, caregivers' knowledge and behaviours on complementary feeding, and the infant and child feeding index (ICFI). Analysis was by intention to treat. The intervention group achieved better knowledge and practices related to
23288386 2013 01 04 2013 02 19 1535-7228 170 1 Jan 1 Am J Psychiatry 21-2 10.1176/appi.ajp.2012.12070965 Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Department
There is a need for easily administered, low-cost measures to assess child development in large field studies. Many researchers evaluate the age of attainment of motor milestones, but there is little information on their validity. A large longitudinal study (MINIMat) was conducted in a poor rural area of Bangladesh and we assessed the age of attainment of motor milestones in a subsample of over 2000 children. We examined their association with scores on the Bayley psychomotor development index (PDI) and mental development index (MDI) at 18 months and with scores on the Movement Assessment Battery for Children and with intelligence quotient (IQ) on the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence at 64 months. A field worker visited the children's homes monthly from 3 to 12 months of age and then at 15 months and examined the children. Mothers recorded the date of attainment of the milestones. Age of attainment of walking and standing alone was moderately correlated with the
Five Steps to Improving Patient Access Judy Capko, May 21, 2013 Patient access is getting increased attention through reform initiatives. Here are five steps you can take to make sure patients get appropriate access to care in your office.
Growing HIPAA Threat – Ignore Windows XP at Your Own Peril Marion K. Jenkins, May 21, 2013 Chances are good that you have some major ticking software time bombs lurking in your medical practice's computer environment, namely Windows XP and Server 2003.
Three Areas to Reduce Costs at Your Medical Practice Greg Mertz, May 19, 2013 By taking a hard look at reducing costs for staffing, overhead, and technology at your medical practice, you may see increased physician compensation.
Dos and Don’ts for Starting a Physician Blog Michael Woo-Ming, MD, May 18, 2013 Starting a physician blog can provide your medical practice with marketing benefits, but it's important to do it right.