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ADHD, anxiety, depression, and behavioral problems are the most commonly diagnosed mental disorders in children!

Around 10% of youth are diagnosed with ADHD. 

• Symptoms of ADHD include: 
• making frequent careless errors or overlooking details, 
• difficulty sustaining attention in tasks/activities,
• failing to complete tasks/work,
• difficulty organizing tasks,
• becoming easily distracted,

ADHD, anxiety, depression, and behavioral problems are the most commonly diagnosed mental disorders in children!

Around 9.5% of youth are diagnosed with anxiety. 

• Symptoms of anxiety include: 
  • Avoidance of activities or settings that are anxiety provoking
  • Frequent or excessive seeking of reassurance
  • Difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep
  • Decline in grades or academic performance, which may include inattention or trouble concentrating
  • Physical symptoms, including headaches, stomach aches, pain, or changes in appetite

Around 1% of youth are diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders. 

• Symptoms of autism spectrum disorders include: 
  • Avoids or does not keep eye contact
  • Does not respond to name by 9 months of age
  • Does not show facial expressions like happy, sad, angry, and surprised by 9 months of age
  • Does not play simple interactive games like pat-a-cake by 12 months of age
  • Uses few or no gestures by 12 months of age (for example, does not wave goodbye)

Around 2.5% of youth are affected by Bipolar I or II. 

• Symptoms of hypomania include: 
  • Elevated, expansive, or irritable mood
  • Decreased need for sleep
  • Racing speech and pressure to keep talking
  • Racing thoughts
  • Increased distractibility
• Followed by: 
  • Pervasive sadness and crying spells
  • Agitation and irritability
  • Withdrawal from activities formerly enjoyed
  • Drop in grades and inability to concentrate
  • Sleeping too much or inability to sleep

ADHD, anxiety, depression, and behavioral problems are the most commonly diagnosed mental disorders in children!

• Around 4% of youth are diagnosed with depression.

• Around 16% of adolescents have made a suicide plan, while around 19% seriously considered suicide.

• Symptoms of depression include: 
  • Frequent sadness, tearfulness, or crying
  • Feelings of hopelessness
  • Withdrawal from friends and activities
  • Lack of enthusiasm or motivation
  • Decreased energy level

There are a number of eating disorders including anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorder. 

Anorexia and bulimia nervosa are diagnosed among youth at a rate of less than 1%. 

Binge eating disorder is more common, affecting about 1% of youth. 

• Symptoms of anorexia nervosa include: 
  • Restricting food
  • Fasting
  • Avoiding “risk” foods
  • Taking diet pills, laxatives, or diuretics
  • Compulsive exercise
• Symptoms of bulimia nervosa include: 
  • Eating large amounts of food in a short amount of time in a way that feels out of control at least twice a week
• Followed by: 
  • Restricting eating (when not binging)
  • Vomiting
  • Using laxatives or diuretics
  • Taking diet pills or stimulants
  • Exercise

Obsessive compulsive disorder affects around 1-2% of youth. 

• Symptoms of OCD include: 
  • Excessive hand washing due to a fear of germs
  • Counting
  • Repeating words silently
  • Rechecking completed tasks

Oppositional defiant disorder affects around 2% of youth. 

• Symptoms of ODD include: 
  • Often loses temper
  • Often argues with adults/li>
  • Often actively defies or refuses to comply with adults’requests or rules
  • Often deliberately annoys people
  • Often blames others for his or her mistakes or misbehavior

Anywhere between 14% and 43% of youth and adolescents are affected by PTSD.

• Symptoms of PTSD include: 
  • Reliving the event over and over in thought or in play
  • Nightmares and sleep problems
  • Becoming very upset when something causes memories of the event
  • Lack of positive emotions
  • Intense ongoing fear or sadness

Less than 1% of youth are diagnosed with schizophrenia. 

• Symptoms of schizophrenia include: 
  • Bizarre ideas or speech
  • Confusing dreams or television for reality
  • Withdrawal from friends and family
  • Trouble sleeping
  • Lack of motivation — for example, showing up as a drop in performance at school
  • Strange anxieties or fears

Among adolescents (aged 12-17 years), depression, suicide, and substance use are common concerns. 

Around 4% of adolescents are diagnosed with a substance use disorder. 

Around 2% of adolescents are diagnosed with alcohol use disorder. 

Around 3% of adolescents are diagnosed with illicit drug use disorder. 

• Substance use disorders are not always easily identifiable.
• Teens with early substance use disorders may have minimal symptoms and may not be identified until they are “caught” using substances, found to be in possession of drugs or paraphernalia, or have gotten into trouble at school or with the police.
• Other times, substance use disorders present with non-specific symptoms, such as dramatic change in school performance or family functioning, loss of interest in sports or other hobbies, moodiness, irritability or difficulty with anxiety.

See below for all sources to check out!

1. Bitsko RH, Claussen AH, Lichtstein J, Black LJ, Everett Jones S, Danielson MD, Hoenig JM, Davis Jack SP, Brody DJ, Gyawali S, Maenner MM, Warner M, Holland KM, Perou R, Crosby AE, Blumberg SJ, Avenevoli S, Kaminski JW, Ghandour RM. Surveillance of Children’s Mental Health – United States, 2013 – 2019 MMWR, , 2022 / 71(Suppl-2);1–42.
2. Carlson, G.A., Caroly, P. (2016). Bipolar disorder among children and adolescents. FOCUS Psychiatric Treatment of Children and Adolescents, 14(1), p. 15-19. https://focus.psychiatryonline.org/doi/epdf/10.1176/appi.focus.20150038
3. Committee to Evaluate the Supplemental Security Income Disability Program for Children with Mental Disorders; Board on the Health of Select Populations; Board on Children, Youth, and Families; Institute of Medicine; Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education; The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; Boat TF, Wu JT, editors. Mental Disorders and Disabilities Among Low-Income Children. Washington (DC): National Academies Press (US); 2015 Oct 28. 13, Prevalence of Oppositional Defiant Disorder and Conduct Disorder. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK332874
4. Kendhari, J., Shankar, R., & Young-Walker, L. (2016). A Review of Childhood-Onset Schizophrenia. Focus (American Psychiatric Publishing), 14(3), 328–332. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.focus.20160007
5. Massachusetts Child Psychiatry Access Program. https://www.mcpap.com/Default.aspx
6. Mayo Clinic (N.D.). Childhood schizophrenia. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/childhood-schizophrenia/symptoms-causes/syc-20354483
7. Murray, S. B., Ganson, K. T., Chu, J., Jann, K., & Nagata, J. M. (2022). The Prevalence of Preadolescent Eating Disorders in the United States. The Journal of Adolescent Health: Official Publication of the Society for Adolescent Medicine, 70(5), 825–828. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2021.11.031
8. National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (N.D.). Post-traumatic stress disorder in children. https://www.cdc.gov/childrensmentalhealth/ptsd.html
9. 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. Mental health surveillance among children – United States, 2005—2011. MMWR 2013;62(Suppl; May 16, 2013):1-35.
10. US Department of Veterans Affairs. (N.D.) How common is PTSD in children and teens?https://www.ptsd.va.gov/understand/common/common_children_teens.asp