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BACKGROUND: Attention-deficit/hyperactivity-disorder (ADHD) is a leading neurodevelopmental disorder in children worldwide; however, few modifiable risk factors have been identified. Organophosphate esters (OPEs) are ubiquitous chemical compounds that are increasingly prevalent as a replacement for other regulated chemicals. Current research has linked OPEs to neurodevelopmental deficits. The purpose of this study was to assess gestational OPE exposure on clinically-assessed ADHD in children at age 3 years. METHODS: In this nested case-control study within the Norwegian Mother, Father, and Child Cohort study, we evaluated the impact of OPE exposure at 17 weeks gestation on preschool-age ADHD. Between 2007 and 2011, 260 ADHD cases were identified using the Preschool Age Psychiatric Assessment and compared to a birth-year-stratified control group of 549 children. We categorized bis(2-butoxyethyl) phosphate (BBOEP) and bis(1,3-dichloro-2-propyl) phosphate (BDCIPP) as values

Non-suicidal self-injury disorder (NSSID) is a new diagnosis proposed in DSM-5 with a need of further study, especially in adolescent clinical populations where non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) is particularly prevalent. We aimed to study characteristics of NSSID and estimate an optimal cutoff frequency level of NSSI behavior. Data were collected from 103 outpatient adolescents (ages 12–18) with recurrent self-harm behavior. Adolescents with NSSID reported significantly more frequent NSSI behavior and suicide attempts than adolescents without NSSID. Frequency of NSSI, global functioning, depressive symptoms, number of self-harm methods and anxiety symptoms best discriminated between adolescents with and without NSSID. An optimal cutoff level for a diagnosis of NSSID was found to be ≥15 days with NSSI during the last year, which led to a reduction in the rate of adolescents diagnosed with NSSID from 54% to 46%. This study shows that NSSID is a highly impairing disorder characterized by high risk of multiple NSSI and suicide attempts, decreased functioning and other associated psychiatric disorders. Clinical awareness of these risks are important to ensure early detection and treatment. Future prospective longitudinal studies are needed to further validate the characteristics of the NSSID diagnosis and its clinical utility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Children with Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD) or Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) are characterized by irritability and social difficulties. However, the mechanisms underlying these disorders could be different. This study explores differences in social cognition and executive function (EF) across DMDD and ODD and the influence of these factors and their interaction on social problems in both groups. Children with DMDD (n = 53, Mage = 9.3) or ODD (n = 39, Mage = 9.6) completed neuropsychological tasks measuring social cognition (Theory of Mind and Face-Emotion Recognition) and EF (cognitive flexibility, inhibition, and working memory). Parents reported social problems. More than one-third of the children with DMDD and almost two-thirds of those with ODD showed clear difficulties with Theory of Mind. Most children with DMDD (51–64%) or ODD (67–83%) showed difficulties with EF. In children with DMDD, worse EF (β = –.36) was associated with more social problems, whereas in children with ODD, better EF (β =.44) was associated with more social problems. In those with ODD, but not in those with DMDD, the interaction between social cognition and EF contributed to the explained variance of social problems (β = –1.97). Based on the observed interaction pattern, enhanced EF may lead to increased social problems among children with ODD who also exhibit social cognition difficulties. This study suggests the existence of distinct neuropsychological mechanisms underlying the social issues observed in children with DMDD versus those with ODD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder was included in DSM-5 to accommodate new research addressing aspects of emotional dysregulation in children suffering from disruptive behavior problems. Despite growing interest in Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder, few studies have looked at prevalence rates in European clinical populations. The primary objective of this study was to examine the prevalence and characteristics associated with Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder in a Norwegian clinical sample. Methods: The present study assessed children 6–12 years of age referred to a mental health clinic for evaluation and treatment (N = 218, M age = 9.6, 60.4% boys) and compared those who did and did not meet Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder diagnostic criteria. Diagnoses were determined using K-SADS-PL 2013. Associated difficulties at home and in school were measured by Achenbach Systems of Empirically Based Assessment battery. Results: In this clinical sample, 24% met the diagnostic criteria for Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder. Children with Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder were more likely than those without Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder to be male (77% vs. 55%, p =.008), be living in poverty, have multiple mental health diagnoses (79% vs. 53%, p =.001), and have lower global functioning levels as measured by Children's Global Assessment Scale (range 0–100, M = 47, SD = 8.5 vs. M = 57, SD = 11.4, p =<.001). Finally, parents and teachers of children with Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder reported lower overall competence and adaptive functioning, and higher total symptom load than children with other diagnoses. Conclusion: Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder is highly prevalent in a Norwegian clinical sample and displays a high symptom load. Our results are in accordance with similar studies. Consistent findings across the world may support Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder as a valid diagnostic category. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies of reasons for referral to the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) and subsequent psychiatric disorders are missing in youth with Hearing loss (HL). To examine the referral reasons to CAMHS and the clinically diagnosed psychiatric disorders in youth with HL among the nationally representative population. The study population was a youth with HL referred to CAMHS and registered in the national Norwegian Patient Registry (NPR) during the years 2011–2016. The results were also compared with some data published from CAMHS for the General Youth Population (GenPop). Among youth with HL, 18.1% had also been referred to CAMHS compared to about 5% in GenPop, at mean age 9.1 years, >70% before age 13 years vs. 46% in the GenPop. Boys with HL comprised 57% and were referred about two years earlier than girls with HL. Compared to the GenPop, youth with HL were referred more frequently for suspected neurodevelopmental- and disruptive disorders, and less frequently for suspected emotional disorders. Girls with HL were referred for suspected Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) at about the same rate as boys with HL in the 7–12 year age group. The most frequently registered psychiatric disorders were ADHD: 29.8%, anxiety disorders: 20.4%, and autism spectrum disorders: 11.0%, while disruptive disorders constituted about 5.0%. Youth with HL were referred to CAMHS more often, but earlier than the GenPop, mostly due to ADHD disorders. Although more rarely referred for suspected anxiety disorders, these were frequently diagnosed, suggesting that anxiety was not recognized at referral in youth with HL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The aim of the study was to compare the development of working memory and preliminary stages of attentional processing in individuals with ADHD over a 23- to 25-year period. Method: Individuals with ADHD (n = 19) and healthy controls (n = 26) were followed up after 13 years (T2) and 23 to 25 years (T3) after initial assessment (T1). They were reassessed with diagnostic measures and the Backward masking task (pre-attention) and the Digit span distractibility test with and without distraction conditions (working memory). Results: The ADHD group performed below the healthy controls on all time points on the Digit span distractibility test. On the distractibility condition, we found a selective decline in performance from T2 to T3 for the ADHD group. Conclusion: The results highlight that ADHD individuals continue to display working memory deficits, also in adulthood, thus creating an imperative for cognitive rehabilitation techniques to help address attention difficulties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The objective of this article is to examine the associations between pre- and postnatal maternal distress and preschooler's symptoms of ADHD, Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD), Conduct Disorder (CD), and anxiety, by timing and gender. Method: Children, aged 3.5 years (N = 1,195), recruited from the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study, were assessed with a semistructured parental psychiatric interview. Perinatal maternal symptoms of distress were assessed by Symptom Checklist (SCL-5); Poisson regression was used to examine the associations. Results: Mid-gestational maternal distress significantly increased the average number of child symptoms, ranging between 3.8% for ADHD hyperactive-impulsive (ADHD-HI) and 8.7% for anxiety. The combination of high maternal scores of distress both pre- and postnatally were associated with increased risk of child symptoms of anxiety (relative risk [RR] = 2.10; 95% confidence interval [CI] = [1.43, 3.07]), CD (RR = 1.83; 95% CI = [1.33, 2.51]), and ODD (RR = 1.30; 95% CI = [1.03, 1.64]), with minor sex differences. Conclusion: Maternal distress during mid-gestation was associated with ADHD, behavioral, and emotional symptoms in preschool children. Continued exposure into the postnatal period may further increase these risk associations . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]