NCJ Number
211719
Journal
Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Volume: 44 Issue: 10 Dated: October 2005 Pages: 972-986
Date Published
October 2005
Length
15 pages
Annotation
This literature review assesses the past decade progression in the monitoring of the prevalence and community burden of child and adolescent psychiatric disorders.
Abstract
Epidemiology is the study of patterns of disease distribution in time and space. Child and adolescent psychiatry entered the epidemiological research rather late, yet the past 30 years has seen a dearth of research regarding the prevalence and community burden of child and adolescent psychiatric disorders. This study reviewed the research literature published during the past decade regarding the methods of assessing prevalence and community burden of child and adolescent psychiatric disorders and their findings. The results of the literature review show that the methods used to assess the prevalence and community burden of child and adolescent psychiatric disorders have dramatically improved over the past decade and now include a range of valid and reliable interviews that are capable of generating DSM and ICD diagnoses. Current work in this field involves the development of brief screens to identify children and adolescents in need of more detailed assessment. The results regarding the main findings of research over the past decade indicates that the median prevalence estimate of child and adolescent psychiatric disorders is 12 percent and that the psychiatric disorders most commonly appearing in child and adolescent populations are among those ranked highest for the global burden of disease. During the next decade it is crucial to develop national and international policies to focus research and prevention resources where they are needed most. Table, figure, references