James Lock, PhD, discusses his experiences treating children and adolescents with eating disorders. In the child psychiatry inpatient unit, among the kids with eating disorders, he saw that half or more were medically ill as a result of malnutrition or other behavioral problems that led to problems with electrolytes or blood pressures. His experiences eventually led him to treatment methods that involved families in an outpatient setting.

Medication is an effective and necessary treatment for many adolescents struggling with ADHD. Unfortunately, even when patients and parents report significant relief from meds, symptoms persist, which can lead to ongoing problems at school, at home, and with peers. That’s why psychosocial interventions are an important part of any treatment plan for adolescents with ADHD.

The metabolic effects of atypical antipsychotics in children are well known, and carefully weighing the risk-benefit ratio of their use is a difficult ordeal for both parents and clinicians. The reality is that the use of these meds is necessary for some children, particularly those dealing with an autism spectrum disorder with serious behavioral problems.

After reading these articles, you should be able to…

The diagnosis of conduct disorder started with patients who were generally labeled as “bad kids”—juvenile delinquents, so to speak—and then professionals came to the realization that these kids are not necessarily “bad” but that there may be some kind of psychiatric pathology underlying their actions. In this interview, Akeem Marsh, MD, presents his perspective as a psychiatrist providing diagnostic evaluations, medication management, individual therapy, and treatment planning in a juvenile detention setting in New York City.

Previous studies have shown that children who are bullied or who bully others are at higher-than-normal risk to have psychiatric disorders as adults. It’s tempting to blame the bullying—but it’s possible that the development of adult problems was driven not by bullying, but rather by preexisting psychiatric disorders in childhood.

After reading these articles, you should be able to…

This article describes some of the more common sleep disorders of childhood and presents the cornerstone for diagnosing pediatric sleep disorders as obtaining a detailed and accurate history followed by a comprehensive physical exam that includes screening for developmental delays and cognitive dysfunction.