Adolescent Psychiatry - Volume 9, Issue 3, 2019

Background: While practice parameters recommend assessment of conscience and values, few resources are available to guide clinicians. Objective: To improve making moral inquiry in youth aged 15 to 24. Methods: After documenting available resources for behavioral health clinicians who are inquiring about their patient’s moral life, we consider our studies of conscience development and functioning in youth. We align Read More

Background: Much of the literature on adolescent refugees has focused on their experiences of trauma, and trauma-focused psychotherapy has been emphasized. In addition to having experienced trauma, adolescents with refugee or migration backgrounds are confronted with distinct challenges in the process of identity formation. These problems result from the normal processes of identity formation and restructurin Read More

Background: The need to develop clinical and empirically-based tools for assessing personality development in adolescence led to the proposal of the IPOP-A (Ammaniti, Fontana, Kernberg, Clarkin, & Clarkin, 2011), a semi-structured interview for adolescents that aims to differentiate personality organization processes from characteristics that may reflect a personality disorder. Objective and Methods: This research ai Read More

Background: Young people carry mental health problems disproportionate to the size of their population, and rates of help-seeking are low. School mental health programs have been developed to address these issues, founded on an educational approach to target mental health literacy, and indirectly improve help-seeking. However, it has been suggested that knowledge does not necessarily predict health behaviour in young Read More

Background: Prevalent adolescent digital media use has brought clinical attention to its potential associated risks. While excessive digital media use has been connected to adolescent difficulties with mood and impulsivity, no study has examined digital media’s role in precipitating adolescent psychiatric admissions. Objective: Our study aims were to identify and characterize digital media-related admissions in a sample of psyc Read More

Background: Few studies on gender-based diagnostic characteristics of adolescent suicide attempters in emergency departments (EDs) have included individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Objective: This study aimed to examine the clinical features of adolescent suicide attempts in EDs, focusing on gender differences and considering individuals with ASD. Methods: Ninety-four adolescent patients, aged le Read More

Background: Hashimoto’s encephalopathy (HE) is a debilitating manifestation of an autoimmune reaction against the thyroid that rarely can present with prominent psychiatric symptoms. It is often under-diagnosed primarily due to its variety of symptoms as well as a lack of definitive diagnostic criteria. Methods: We report the case of a 13-year-old girl who was diagnosed with HE after presenting with recurrent and sev Read More