Biological Disorders Related to Emotional/Behavioral Disorders

Depression

The characteristics of depression for children are similar to those for adults. A "Major Depressive Episode" for both adults and children is described as a period of at least two weeks during which there is either depressed mood or the loss of interest or pleasure in most activities. The Diagnostic and Statistic Manual of Mental Disorders (American Psychiatric Association, 1994) notes that in children, depression is often seen as irritation, crankiness, and sadness. The duration of symptoms required for identification is also shorter among children. Children and youth who are depressed have low self-esteem, poor social skills, and are pessimistic.

In a study of 8- to 11-year-old children identified as learning disabled, Wright-Strawderman and Watson (1992) found that more than a third scored in the depressed range on the Children's Depression Inventory. Females with learning disabilities may be even more likely to demonstrate symptoms related to depression (Maag, Behrens, & DiGangi, 1992).

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

For many years, obsessive compulsive disorder was considered a rare disease. Recent research by the National Institute of Mental Health (1996), however, suggests that perhaps as many as 2% of the population may have obsessive compulsive disorder. Individuals with this disorder have obsessions, or unwanted, intrusive, and unpleasant ideas that occur repeatedly, which they manage through compulsions, or repetitive behaviors usually involved with counting. listing, or rearranging objects. The most common obsessions are thoughts about contamination; doubts, such as those concerning turning off the stove or locking a door; or a need to have things in a particular order, such as lining objects up on desks or tables. Common compulsions include handwashing. ordering, checking, or repeating words silently (American Psychiatric Association, 1994).

Individuals with obsessive compulsive disorder respond well to specific medications, supporting a neurobiological basis of the disorder. The use of positron emission tomography (PET) scanners to study the brains of individuals with obsessive compulsive disorder have demonstrated unusual neuro-chemical activity in regions known to play a role in other neurological disorders, such as Tourette syndrome (National Institute of Mental Health [NIMH] 1996).

Children Prenatally Exposed to Drugs and Alcohol

Infants who have been prenatally exposed to drugs and alcohol are at risk for physical and behavioral/emotional problems. According to Williams and Howard (1993), these children demonstrate a marked failure to adapt to the environment; difficulties in appropriate interaction with caregivers; and problems in language, learning, and motor skills. Initial follow-up on infants prenatally exposed to drugs and alcohol suggest that some will suffer long-term behavioral and education disabilities. However. little empirically documented data concerning the characteristics of exposed children who are in school is available. Although the potential causal mechanisms for neural damage to children who have been prenatally exposed to cocaine are strong. the empirical literature does not support an inevitable developmental consequence. Infants who have been exposed to cocaine in utero are similar to other children with neurological challenges. but may have an added disadvantage of a chaotic caregiving environment in which the parent focuses more on obtaining and using drugs than on caring for the child. This combination of biological problems and chaotic environment increases the probability that the child will demonstrate disabilities.