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Neurodevelopmental disorders: prevalence and comorbidity in children referred to mental health services

Berit Hjelde Hansen1,2,3, Beate Oerbeck4, Benedicte Skirbekk5

  • 1a BUP Nedre Romerike, Division of Mental Health , Akershus University Hospital , Lørenskog , Norway.

Nordic Journal of Psychiatry
|March 1, 2018
PubMed

Insights

Neurodevelopmental disorders (ND) are common in child mental health services, affecting over half of referred children. High rates of comorbidity, including anxiety and depression, require careful consideration in treatment planning.

Area of Science:

  • Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
  • Neurodevelopmental Disorders
  • Mental Health Services Research

Background:

  • Accurate prevalence data for neurodevelopmental disorders (ND) and comorbidities in child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) are crucial for effective healthcare planning.
  • Existing prevalence estimates from Nordic CAMHS populations are limited and show variability.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine the prevalence of ND, including attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), tic disorder (TD), and autism spectrum disorder (ASD), in children referred to CAMHS outpatient clinics.
  • To identify the rates of comorbid conditions (homotypic and heterotypic) among these children using a validated diagnostic tool.

Main Methods:

  • A semistructured interview, the Kiddie-SADS-PL, was administered to parents of 407 consecutively referred children aged 7-13 years.
  • Data were collected at the time of admittance to CAMHS outpatient clinics.

Main Results:

  • Over half of referred children (55.5%) received at least one ND diagnosis: ADHD (44.5%), TD (17.7%), and ASD (6.1%).
  • High comorbidity rates were observed: 31.0% had a single ND, 21.7% had multiple NDs (homotypic), and 58.0% had non-ND psychiatric disorders (heterotypic).
  • Anxiety disorders were the most common heterotypic comorbidity across all NDs; depressive disorders were linked to older age, and anxiety disorders to female gender.

Conclusions:

  • NDs are the most prevalent disorders among children referred to CAMHS, characterized by significant homotypic and heterotypic comorbidity.
  • These findings underscore the need to integrate comprehensive assessment and management of comorbidities into health service planning and treatment strategies for referred children.
Abstract

Keywords:
ADHDKiddie-SADS-PLautismcomorbiditytic disorders

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