title: Specific learning difficulties: a retrospective study of their co morbidity and continuity as early indicators of mental disorders.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Specific Learning difficulties constitute a continuity of complex disorders, which unfold across the lifespan and are associated with a wide range of mental disorders. In order to determine the importance of specific learning difficulties as an underlying factor in various mental disorders, we investigated associations between mental disorders and factors related to learning difficulties, poor family and school environment, and social and psycho-emotional disorders.
  
  
  METHODS
  This retrospective study is based on data from 835 case histories of adults who were treated at the Psychiatric Clinic of the University Hospital in Ioannina, Greece, between 1992 and 2008. The examination of the early (co-)occurrence of specific disorders was based on the ICD-10 classification of mental disorders. LogLinear analysis showed that all models retained 2nd or 3rd order effects with p-values >0.8 for all estimated likelihood ratios.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Patients with specific learning difficulties, who grew up in a socially disturbed environment, and manifested behavioral problems (aggression, alcoholism, and isolation or running away from home) were found to be more frequently diagnosed with schizophrenia than with any other mental disorder. In some cases, the profiles of these patients also included family problems such as parental loss or alcoholism.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Significant association between learning and other disorders in adult psychiatric patients' developmental profile has been indicated. Furthermore, a specific association between specific learning difficulties, environmental problems, and schizophrenia corroborates the continuity and complexity of these disorders at higher developmental stages. The results from this study can be utilized in the study of mental disorder etiology, raising the possibility that the early treatment of the learning or other disorders could reduce children's likelihood of developing mental disorders in adulthood.
authors.affiliation: Technological Educational Institute of Epirus, Department of Speech and Language Therapy, 4th km of National Road Ioannina-Athens, 45 500 Ioannina, Greece. Electronic address: vzakop@ioa.teiep.gr.
authors.forename: Victoria
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Zakopoulou
authors.affiliation: University of Ioannina, Medicine School, Psychiatric Clinic, P.O. Box 1186, 45110 Ioannina, Greece.
authors.forename: Venetsanos
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Mavreas
authors.affiliation: Technological Educational Institute of Epirus, Department of Speech and Language Therapy, 4th km of National Road Ioannina-Athens, 45 500 Ioannina, Greece.
authors.forename: Pavlos
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Christodoulides
authors.affiliation: Technological Educational Institute of Epirus, Department of Speech and Language Therapy, 4th km of National Road Ioannina-Athens, 45 500 Ioannina, Greece.
authors.forename: Asterios
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lavidas
authors.affiliation: University of Ioannina, Medicine School, Psychiatric Clinic, P.O. Box 1186, 45110 Ioannina, Greece.
authors.forename: Elissavet
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Fili
authors.affiliation: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, School of Psychology, Campus University, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece.
authors.forename: Galatia
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Georgiou
authors.affiliation: Technological Educational Institute of Epirus, Department of Speech and Language Therapy, 4th km of National Road Ioannina-Athens, 45 500 Ioannina, Greece.
authors.forename: Georgios
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Dimakopoulos
authors.affiliation: University of Ioannina, Department of Pre-School Education, P.O. Box 1186, 45110 Ioannina, Greece.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vergou
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000374:Aggression / Q000523:psychology; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D015897:Comorbidity; D005260:Female; D006115:Greece / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D007859:Learning Disabilities / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019964:Mood Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000453:epidemiology; D012563:Schizophrenia, Paranoid / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology; D012569:Schizotypal Personality Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D012931:Social Environment; D012934:Social Isolation / Q000523:psychology; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Comorbidity; Mental disorders; Specific learning difficulties