[Review of risks factors in childhood for schizophrenia and severe mental disorders in adulthood].
OBJECTIVE
To provide scientific evidence, using a literature review on psychosocial risk factors in mental health, that a high exposure to psychosocial stress situations in childhood increases the risk of mental disorders in adulthood,.


METHODS
A literature review up to December 2011 in the electronic databases from Medline, Universitat de Barcelona, and the Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona. The keywords used were: childhood, prenatal, vulnerability, risk, abuse, neglect, child mental disorder, schizophrenia, and prevention. Inclusion criteria for the studies reviewed: 1) designed to investigate childhood risk factors; 2) Comparative studies with persons without risk factors; 3) Studies with sufficient statistical significance; 4) Studies with "n" participants equal to o more than 30 persons.


RESULTS
There are a group of easily identifiable mental health risk factors in childhood that can help in the prevention of mental disorders in the adulthood. They can be grouped into four categories: A) Pregnancy, birth and perinatal problems; B) Poor interpersonal relations with parents; C) Adverse life events in the first two years of life; D) Cognitive deficits in primary school, and social isolation during school years.


CONCLUSIONS
There are life events that may increase the possibilities of suffering some kind of Psychopathology. It is necessary to consider those events as Risk Factors for Mental Health. The accumulation of these Risk Factors increases vulnerability to Mental Disorders.
Psicólogo clínico, Doctor en Psicología, Psicoanalista IPB, Grupo de investigación Pareja y Familia, Universitat Ramón Llull, Barcelona, España. Electronic address: jordiartigue@gmail.com.
Jordi
J
Artigue
Psiquiatra, Psicoanalista SEP-IPA, Institut Universitari de Salut Mental, Universitat Ramón Llull, Barcelona, España.
Jorge L
JL
Tizón
D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D006801:Humans; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000453:epidemiology; D012720:Severity of Illness Index
Childhood; Detección; Detection; Factores de riesgo; Infancia; Mental health; Prevención; Prevention; Risk factors; Salud mental