The U.S. Centers for Disease Control has published a comprehensive summary of the epidemiology of childhood brain disorders in the most recent Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.This report produced some sensationalized headlines that...
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control has published a comprehensive summary of the epidemiology of childhood brain disorders in the most recent Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.This report produced some sensationalized headlines that up to 20% of children suffer from a mental disorder. However, I was more interested in looking at the prevalence estimates for some of the individual disorders from the report.The report collates data collected from a variety of surveys and data sets including the NHANES, NHIS and the National Survey of Children's Health (NSCH). These surveys typically use parental report to estimate prevalence ratesFor the purposes of this post, I will focus on two childhood brain disorders: attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD).The key findings from the report in ADHD include:7.6% of parents reported their child between 3-17 years had received a diagnosis of ADHD in the NHIS8.9% of parents reported their child received a diagnosis of ADHD in the NSCH study9.6% to 12.3% of boys had received a diagnosis of ADHD3.8% to 5.4% of girls had received a diagnosis of ADHDA diagnosis of ADHD was more with older age, in children with health insurance and higher income groupsA diagnosis of ADHD was not related to parental education level The key findings from the report for autism and autism spectrum disorder include:.8% to 1.1% of parents reported their child between 3-17 years had received a diagnosis of autism1.8% of parents reported their child had received a diagnosis of ASDSurveys consisted noted a male predominance with boys having an estimated 3.5 to 4.5 times higher rate of autism and ASD diagnosisAgain having health insurance increased the rate of autism or ASD diagnosis by around two foldAutism and ASD prevalence rates were somewhat higher in the Northeast region of the U.S. and in white, non-Hispanic childrenIn contrast to ADHD, ASD rates were similar across parental income categoriesThe report notes in the discussion section: "Substantial but not insurmountable challenges to surveillance of mental disorders in children exists." They note current methods focus on parental reports and are biased by variability in access to health and mental health providers. The also note the imperfect diagnostic approach to childhood mental disorders and the need for more consistent diagnostic approaches.This report is a good comprehensive summary of what we know about these childhood brain disorders in the United States. Readers with more interest in this topic can access the free full text report in the citation below. In the next two posts, I will summarize key findings in the conduct disorder and affective disorder categories.Photo of clown fish from the Oklahoma Aquarium is from the author's files.Perou R, Bitsko RH, Blumberg SJ, Pastor P, Ghandour RM, Gfroerer JC, Hedden SL, Crosby AE, Visser SN, Schieve LA, Parks SE, Hall JE, Brody D, Simile CM, Thompson WW, Baio J, Avenevoli S, Kogan MD, Huang LN, & Division of Human Development and Disability, National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, CDC, Atlanta, Georgia (2013). Mental health surveillance among children - United States, 2005-2011. Morbidity and mortality weekly report. Surveillance summaries (Washington, D.C. : 2002), 62 (2), 1-35 PMID: 23677130...
Perou R, Bitsko RH, Blumberg SJ, Pastor P, Ghandour RM, Gfroerer JC, Hedden SL, Crosby AE, Visser SN, Schieve LA.... (2013) Mental health surveillance among children - United States, 2005-2011. Morbidity and mortality weekly report. Surveillance summaries (Washington, D.C. : 2002), 62(2), 1-35. PMID: 23677130 Mental health surveillance among children - United States, 2005-2011.