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Abstract: Childhood trauma can have a profound effect on adolescent development, with a lifelong impact on physical and mental health and development. Through a review of current research on the impact of traumatic stress on adolescence, this article provides a framework for adolescent health professionals in pediatrics and primary care to understand and assess the sequelae of traumatic stress, as well as up-to-date recommendations for evidence-based treatment. We first review empirical evidence for critical windows of neurobiological impact of traumatic stress, and then we discuss the connection between these neurobiological effects and posttraumatic syndromes, including posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, aggressive behavior, and psychosis. This article concludes by considering the implications of this current research for clinical assessment and treatment in pediatric and primary care settings. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Objective: To obtain a demographic profile of aggressive students in an urban setting and discern psychiatric diagnoses, functional impairment, and psychosocial stressors. Study design: Participants were 33 students in an urban public school district referred for comprehensive psychiatric evaluation by school staff because they were viewed as a threat to school safety. Evaluations included a review of records, interviews with school and mental health professionals, and student and parent interviews. Results: Students were characterized by severe and untreated or undertreated psychopathology together with high levels of psychosocial stressors and learning disorders. Thirty-two students received at least one Axis I diagnosis, and the mean number of diagnoses for each student was 3; 33% had substance abuse problems, and 30% had nonpsychiatric medical conditions. Conclusions: The sample is a chronically impaired group of students confronting serious adversity in their daily lives, whose psychosocial and psychiatric needs are not met by current educational and mental health programming. Necessary interventions include prevention and early identification, substance abuse and family treatment, and appropriate psychopharmacological treatment. A comprehensive psychiatric assessment can help change the outcomes for this group of aggressive students. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Assessing children and adolescents for potential violent behavior requires an organized approach that draws on clinical knowledge, a thorough diagnostic interview, and familiarity with relevant risk and protective factors. This article reviews empirical evidence on risk factors, the impact of peers, developmental pathways, physiological markers, subtyping of aggression, and differences in patterns of risk behaviors between sexes. We explore these determinants of violence in children and adolescents with attention to the underlying motivations and etiology of violence to delineate the complexity, unanswered questions, and clinical relevance of the current research. Interventions, including cognitive behavioral therapy, psychopharmacological treatment, and psychosocial treatment, are reviewed with acute recognition of the need to use multiple modalities with, and to expand research to define optimal treatment for, potentially violent children and adolescents. The information considered for this review focuses on violence as defined as physical aggression toward other individuals. Other studies are included with wider definitions of violence because of their relevance to assessing the potential for violent behavior. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Discusses the emergence of child and adolescent psychiatrists in school-based health clinics (SBHC). Advantages of SBHC; Reason for the development of SBHC; Characteristics of SBHC visits.

Offers a look at the psychological meanings of psychotropic medications to children, adolescents and their parents. Apprehensions of parents in giving medications to their children; Perceptions of children regarding their disorder; Importance of addressing confidentiality concerns with adolescents.

The Internet has become an increasingly important part of teen culture; however, there still remains little in the medical/psychiatric literature pertaining to the impact of the Internet on adolescent development. Despite the potential problems associated with communication online, the Internet offers a variety of positive opportunities for teens. In this report, we present a case study that illustrates the Internet as a helpful tool in a 15-year-old adolescent boy with a history of chronic neurological illness accompanied by refractory psychosis. Although the case emphasizes some of the ways in which the Internet may have a positive impact on adolescent development, further research is indicated to evaluate the contexts in which the Internet serves healthy developmental processes and those in which its influence is potentially deleterious. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]