Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 28, 2026

Handwriting Analysis Indicates Spontaneous Dyskinesias in Neuroleptic Naïve Adolescents at High Risk for Psychosis
Published on: November 21, 2013
Psychiatric disorder among American Indian adolescents: prevalence in Northern Plains youth
J Beals1, J Piasecki, S Nelson
1National Center for American Indian and Alaska Native Mental Health Research, Denver, CO 80220, USA. jan.beals@ucbsc.edu
Unlabelled:
This article presents data on the prevalence of psychiatric disorders among American Indian adolescents, using DSM-III-R criteria.
Objective:
To generate current prevalence data using a structured diagnostic instrument, the Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children, Version 2.1C (DISC-2.1C).
Methods:
Youths from a Northern Plains tribe who had participated in an earlier study comprised the sample. At reinterview, respondents were between 14 and 16 years of age, when Indian adolescents are thought to be at particularly high risk for manifesting emotional disorders. One hundred nine of the original sample of 251 were still in schools on the reservation. Trained indigenous lay interviewers administered the DISC-2.1C to respondents in a private setting within the school.
Results:
The findings indicate that rates of some psychiatric problems (e.g., disruptive behavior disorders, substance-related disorders, and their comorbidity) are high among these high school students.
Conclusions:
These data, as well as national statistics, suggest that, compared with non-Indian populations, a greater percentage of Northern Plains adolescents manifest significant psychiatric symptoms which warrant treatment.
Related Concept Videos
Ethnic Identity within a Larger Culture
Theoretical Approaches to Psychological Disorder
Biological approach
The biological approach posits that internal, organic factors are the primary causes of such disorders. This perspective emphasizes brain structure and function, genetic predispositions, and neurotransmitter imbalances. For example, schizophrenia has been associated with both genetic...
Anorexia Nervosa
Symptoms and Physical Effects
Individuals with anorexia nervosa commonly exhibit extreme...
Psychological and Sociocultural Causes of Schizophrenia
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
Diagnostic Criteria and Symptoms
To diagnose ADHD, symptoms must manifest before age 12 and be evident across multiple settings.
Conduct Disorder

