Neurobehavioral disorders in children, adolescents, and young adults with Down syndrome.
The term dual-diagnosis refers to a person with mental retardation and a psychiatric disorder. Most children with Down syndrome (DS) do not have a psychiatric or neurobehavioral disorder. Current prevalence estimates of neurobehavioral and psychiatric co-morbidity in children with DS range from 18% to 38%. We have found it useful to distinguish conditions with a pre-pubertal onset from those presenting in the post-pubertal period, as these are biologically distinct periods each with a unique vulnerability to specific psychiatric disorders. Due to the increased recognition that psychiatric symptoms may co-occur with mental retardation, and are not inextricably linked to cognitive impairment, these conditions are considered treatable, in part, under a medical model. Improvement in physiologic regulation, emotional stability, and neurocognitive processing is one of the most elusive but fundamental goals of pharmacologic intervention in these disorders.
Capone
George
G
Down Syndrome Clinic (DSC) at Kennedy Krieger Institute, 707 N. Broadway, Baltimore MD 21205, USA. capone@kennedykrieger.org
Goyal
Parag
P
Ares
William
W
Lannigan
Emily
E
D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior; D000328:Adult; D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000209:etiology; D001321:Autistic Disorder / Q000209:etiology; D002648:Child; D002653:Child Behavior Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology*; D003863:Depression / Q000209:etiology; D004314:Down Syndrome / Q000150:complications* / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008607:Intellectual Disability / Q000209:etiology; D019964:Mood Disorders / Q000209:etiology; D009771:Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder / Q000209:etiology; D011618:Psychotic Disorders / Q000209:etiology; D019956:Stereotypic Movement Disorder / Q000209:etiology