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Mental Disorders in Early Childhood

Kai von Klitzing1, Mirko Döhnert, Michael Kroll

  • 1Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University of Leipzig.

Deutsches Arzteblatt International
|July 8, 2015
PubMed

Insights

Early childhood mental disorders affect 17% of children. Effective treatments include parent training and psychotherapy, while psychotropic drugs lack evidence in this age group.

Area of Science:

  • Child Psychology
  • Developmental Psychiatry
  • Pediatric Mental Health

Background:

  • Approximately 17% of children experience mental disorders before age 6.
  • Early childhood (up to 6 years) is a critical period for mental health development.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review mental disorders in early childhood.
  • To summarize prevalence, common conditions, and effective treatments.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review using PubMed and Web of Science.
  • Inclusion of authors' clinical and scientific expertise.

Main Results:

  • Common issues in toddlers include emotional/motor regulation (7%) and feeding problems (25%).
  • Reactive attachment disorder affects ~1% of children, particularly those in high-risk environments.
  • Preschoolers may develop anxiety, depression, hyperactivity, or behavioral disorders; parent-focused interventions are effective.
  • No evidence supports psychotropic drug efficacy in early childhood.

Conclusions:

  • Diagnosticians must cautiously interpret early childhood symptoms, recognizing their context within parent-child relationships.
  • Early identification and intervention are crucial for managing childhood mental health conditions.
  • Psychotherapy for this age group requires further validation through high-quality efficacy and longitudinal studies.
Abstract

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