Developmental Neuropsychiatry

Abstract

Neurodevelopmental disorders are a group of conditions involving alterations of behaviour, thinking, and emotions. They have onsets in early childhood, persistence into adult life, and high rates of altered cognitive and neurological function. They are frequent reasons for referral to psychiatry, paediatrics, and clinical psychology and often require team approaches to meet a variety of needs for service. This book includes accounts of the typical development and possible pathology of key functions whose alterations can underlie problems of mental development: motor function, attention, memory, executive function, communication, social understanding and empathy, reality testing, and emotional regulation. It goes on to descriptions of frequent clinical conditions: the spectra of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism, tic disorders, coordination and learning difficulties, intellectual disability, and the psychotic disorders of young people. There are descriptions of recognition, diagnosis, prevalence, pathophysiology, and consequences for later development. These conditions very often coexist and present as dimensions rather than categorical illnesses. The effects of brain disorders on mental life are then considered, with special attention to epilepsy, cerebral palsy, hydrocephalus, acquired traumatic injury to the head, localized structural lesions, and endocrine and genetic disorders. Widely used treatments, both psychological and physical, are described in the context of their value for meeting multiple, often overlapping needs. Consequences of the conditions for individuals’ psychosocial development are described: stigma; physical illness and injury; economic disadvantage; and family, peer, and school stresses. This book is aimed at clinicians of all disciplines, clinical students, and educators encountering neuropsychiatric problems in young people.