In recent years the pace has been accelerating by which changes in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) systems are made. Revisions occur before extensive empirical knowledge can be drawn upon to guide these changes. For substance use disorders, the criteria have undergone changes from DSM-III to DSM-III-R, and from…

Over the last decade, notable advances have been made in the classification of child and adolescent psychopathology. The use of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-III (DSM-III) diagnostic categories for depression with children and adolescents was investigated using archival classification data spanning an 8-year time period.…

Achenbach's Child Behavioral Check List (CBCL) is an instrument that is administered to the parents of many thousands of children and adolescent annually in school systems and mental health agencies. It is a standardized instrument with age norms for males and females, on which parents rate their child's behavior. The CBCL consists of nine…

Mental health professionals have often reported differences in the psychiatric symptoms and diagnoses of adopted and nonadopted children and adolescents. Since psychiatric diagnoses are influenced by the judgments of the professionals who assign them, it is possible that the differences observed between adopted and nonadopted psychiatric patients…

The development of Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-Adolescent (MMPI-A) scales to measure the Personality Psychopathology Five (PSY-5), a model of personality, is reported. Preliminary scales were refined with the MMPI-A normative sample of 1,620 and a clinical sample of 713 adolescents, and their construct validity was supported. (SLD)

While academia has largely ignored the problem of adolescent depression until fairly recently, secondary educators have been confronting its symptoms, correlates, and outcomes for years. Research shows that lay adults such as parents and teachers often fail to notice depression in young people who report extensive symptoms in a clinical interview.…

Adolescent suicide is the second leading cause of death in the adolescent population and is on the rise. This study used a mass screening concept as a pre-test identifier of at risk clients for suicide ideation and depressions; development of a competency-based prevention group treatment program, and the post-testing of the identified at-risk…

Length of stay in psychiatric inpatient units has received increasing attention with the external pressures for treatment cost-effectiveness and evidence that longer hospital stays do not appear to have significant advantages over shorter hospital stays. This study examined the relationship between length of psychiatric hospital stay and…

Bulimia represents a major health problem in the United States, especially in high schools, colleges, and universities. This paper reviews literature on the definition, etiology, and therapeutic approaches for bulimia. The literature points to potential physiological bases for the disorder since some researchers reported similarities between it…

The focus of this study was on the identification of adolescents with physiologically based extreme behavior problems (explosive, hostile, aggressive type) through the use of evoked potential studies. Through interviews two distinct types of explosive behavior were identified based upon how individuals came out of the rage or explosive period. In…

Responses of 84 psychiatrists who completed a questionnaire as they thought a mentally healthy adolescent of their gender would respond compared well to 140 actual responses, but comparison of 61 psychiatrists' responses to responses of 70 disturbed patients showed that psychiatrists viewed these adolescents as more psychopathological than their…

This paper reviews the research on dissociation and the development of psychopathology in children and adolescents. Definitions and dimensions of dissociation are addressed, noting its range from normative daydreaming to the extremes found in individuals with multiple personality disorder. Memory dysfunctions, disturbances of identity, passive…

This paper discusses the results of a study that investigated the need for services across the continuum of child/adolescent mental health services in Virginia. Specific objectives of the study were to: (1) describe the youth receiving services; (2) determine where and to what extent gaps in services exist; (3) determine the reasons why youth do…

This paper introduces a framework for conceptualizing a system of care for children and youth with severe emotional or behavioral disorders built on a child development perspective. The approach focuses on developmental transitions which all children and youth experience. Such transitions include entry into school, negotiating the challenges…

Depression is increasingly recognized as a problem affecting adolescents as well as adults. Adolescents are underserved with regard to treatment facilities. One solution is the comprehensive health care clinic providing a holistic approach to assessment and intervention. Policy recommendations, which include a role for the school system, are made.…