Childhood Anxiety Symptoms as a Predictor of Psychotic Experiences in Adolescence in a High-Risk Cohort for Psychiatric Disorders.

Background and Hypothesis: When occurring in adolescence, psychotic experiences (PE), subclinical psychotic symptoms, can be an early marker of mental illnesses. Studies with high-risk populations for psychosis show that anxiety symptoms often precede the onset of psychosis. Although anxiety symptoms are frequently experienced across the continuum of psychosis, no previous study has analyzed this association using a cross-lagged panel model (CLPM) longitudinally to identify if anxiety can be a predictor of PE over time or vice versa. The aim of the current study was to investigate whether one symptom domain predicts the other over time. Study Design: 2194 children from the Brazilian High-Risk Cohort (BHRC) were evaluated at baseline (T 0), and 76.5% completed a 3-year follow-up (T 1) interview. Childhood anxiety symptoms and PE were assessed using a standardized self-report questionnaire at both time points. Cross-lagged panel models evaluated time-lagged associations between PE and anxiety longitudinally. Study Results: Higher levels of anxiety in childhood predicted an increase in PE levels in adolescence. The cross-lagged effect of anxiety scores at T 0 on PE scores at T 1 was significant (ß = .03, SE = 0.01, P ≤ .001) and PE in childhood did not increase levels of anxiety in adolescence, when controlling for sociodemographic and clinical characteristics. Conclusions: Our findings reinforce that anxiety may represent an early marker of psychosis proneness, not a consequence of already presenting PE, which can help to develop better screening approaches. Therefore, future studies should focus on identifying biological or other clinical markers to increase prediction accuracy.

Biological rhythms disruption mediates the association between mother's diagnosis of bipolar disorder and offspring's emotional/behavioral problems.

OBJECTIVE: The current study assesses whether the association between diagnosis of Bipolar Disorder (BD) in mothers and emotional and behavioral problems (EBP) in their offspring is mediated by a disruption in the offspring's biological rhythms. METHODS: A probabilistic sample of 492 public school children (ages 7-8, 48 % female) were assessed for biological rhythms disruption and EBP using the Biological Rhythms Interview for Assessment in Neuropsychiatry for Kids and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, respectively. Mothers' mental health (BD = 64) was evaluated using a standardized clinical interview. A mediation analysis was conducted to assess the effect of the mother's diagnosis of BD on the EBP of their offspring in relation to the offspring's biological rhythms disruptions. RESULTS: When compared to offspring of mothers without BD, offspring of mothers with BD showed greater difficulty in maintaining biological rhythms and higher prevalence of EBP. Using the presence of EBP as the outcome, 75 % of the effect of mother's BD diagnosis was mediated by offspring's biological rhythms disruption. CONCLUSIONS: Biological rhythms disruption in children fully mediates the effect of the mother's diagnosis of BD on the child's EBP. These data encourage the development of further studies to find effective strategies to prevent and treat biological rhythms disruption in offspring of mothers with BD.

Suicide Attempts and Course of Suicidal Ideation among Puerto Rican Early Adolescents.

Suicidal behavior increases substantially during early adolescence, a critical understudied developmental period. This study reports on the prevalence of suicidal ideation, suicide attempts, and course of suicidal ideation among Puerto Rican early adolescents, a high-risk group for suicidal behavior in adulthood. Gender differences and the prospective association of psychiatric disorders with course of suicidal ideation are examined. Participants were 1228 Puerto Rican adolescents (ages 10-13 at wave 1; 48% female) and parents, selected through probability-based sampling, assessed yearly across three waves. Adolescents and parents reported via Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children-IV about 12-month suicide attempts and suicidal ideation (further categorized as never present, onset, recurrence, and remission), mood and anxiety disorders; parents reported on disruptive disorders. Over the three waves, 9.5% early adolescents thought about suicide and 2.1% attempted suicide. In adjusted multinomial regression models, compared to those with never present suicidal ideation, female gender was related to onset of suicidal ideation (OR = 2.60; 95% CI, 1.22-5.55). Disruptive disorders were related to onset (OR = 5.80; 95% CI, 2.06-16.32) and recurrence of suicidal ideation (OR = 5.07, 95% CI, 1.14-22.47), mood disorders were related to remission (OR = 14.42, 95% CI, 3.90-53.23), and anxiety disorders to onset of suicidal ideation (OR = 3.68, 95% CI, 1.75-7.73). Our findings inform strategies tailored for early adolescents. To address onset of suicidal ideation, prevention should focus on girls and those with anxiety or disruptive disorders. When ideation is recurrent, interventions oriented to reduce disruptive behavior and its consequences may help achieve remission.

El neurodesarrollo en la infancia y la importancia de la comprensión nominal en el diagnóstico / Neurodevelopment in childhood. The importance of diagnostic names

The objective of this presentation is to review the denomination Neurodevelopmental Disorders contained in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) by considering the latest paradigms on human development, which include the emerging neurobiological and intersubjective foundations required to understand and intervene in problems of the baby and the small child. The current denomination adopts a theoretical position that is exclusively biological (despite being defined as a-theoretical), and tends to make fundamental aspects of human development linked to inter-subjectivity invisible. The presentation also includes clinical experiences related to perinatal events in children with serious developmental problems and a revision of the underlying paradigms of the different concepts of Health and Mental Illness. Two relevant variables that intervene in human development are considered; firstly, epigenetics, underlining that its programming can be altered by diverse environmental conditions, thus revealing how certain acquired characters can be transmitted to offspring and that such modifications are potentially reversible; secondly, the recursive, visualized in the emergence of the mind from its biological bases, and the marks of inter-subjectivity in the body. New evidence is provided that mental phenomena begin as a mind shared with others and that early intersubjective experiences are mapped into the individual's brain performance. From the above, it follows that neurodevelopment requires intersubjectivity to enable the emergence of the mind as an eminently human phenomenon. Therefore, this should be reflected in the most commonly used diagnostic names.

El objetivo de esta presentación es la revisión de la denominación Trastornos del Neurodesarrollo del Manual Diagnóstico y Estadístico de los Trastornos Mentales (DSM-5). Los paradigmas actuales sobre el desarrollo humano incluyen las bases neurobiológicas e intersubjetivas emergentes, requeridas para comprender e intervenir en problemáticas del recién nacido y del niño pequeño. Se advierte que la denominación vigente adopta una postura teórica exclusivamente biológica, no obstante definirse como ateórico, tendiendo a invisibilizar aspectos fundamentales del desarrollo humano vinculados con la intersubjetividad. Se incorporan, además, experiencias clínicas vinculadas con acontecimientos perinatales en niños con graves problemáticas del desarrollo. Se efectúa una revisión de distintos paradigmas que subyacen en los conceptos de salud y enfermedad mental. Se consideran dos relevantes variables que intervienen en el desarrollo humano; primero, la epigenética, subrayando que su programación puede ser alterada por diversas condiciones ambientales, evidenciando cómo ciertos caracteres adquiridos pueden trasmitirse a la descendencia y que tales modificaciones son potencialmente reversibles. Segundo, lo recursivo, visualizado en la emergencia de la mente desde sus bases biológicas y las marcas que imprime la intersubjetividad en el cuerpo. Se incorporan evidencias de que los fenómenos mentales comienzan como una mente compartida con otros y de que las experiencias intersubjetivas tempranas se mapean en el funcionamiento cerebral del individuo. Se deriva que el neurodesarrollo requiere la intersubjetividad para posibilitar la emergencia de la mente como fenómeno eminentemente humano y, por lo tanto, sería de gran utilidad que ello sea reflejado en las denominaciones diagnósticas más utilizadas.

Specific and social fears in children and adolescents: separating normative fears from problem indicators and phobias

Objective: To distinguish normative fears from problematic fears and phobias. Methods: We investigated 2,512 children and adolescents from a large community school-based study, the High Risk Study for Psychiatric Disorders. Parent reports of 18 fears and psychiatric diagnosis were investigated. We used two analytical approaches: confirmatory factor analysis (CFA)/item response theory (IRT) and nonparametric receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. Results: According to IRT and ROC analyses, social fears are more likely to indicate problems and phobias than specific fears. Most specific fears were normative when mild; all specific fears indicate problems when pervasive. In addition, the situational fear of toilets and people who look unusual were highly indicative of specific phobia. Among social fears, those not restricted to performance and fear of writing in front of others indicate problems when mild. All social fears indicate problems and are highly indicative of social phobia when pervasive. Conclusion: These preliminary findings provide guidance for clinicians and researchers to determine the boundaries that separate normative fears from problem indicators in children and adolescents, and indicate a differential severity threshold for specific and social fears.

Em busca das origens desenvolvimentais dos transtornos mentais / Searching for the developmental origins of mental disorders

INTRODUÇÃO: A psicopatologia desenvolvimental é uma disciplina que integra perspectivas epidemiológicas, sociais, genéticas, desenvolvimentais e de psicopatologia para entender as origens e o curso dos transtornos mentais. Neste artigo, são discutidos abordagens e conceitos utilizados para compreender as origens desenvolvimentais dos transtornos mentais. RESULTADOS: A psicopatologia desenvolvimental entende que os transtornos mentais são possíveis desfechos do processo de desenvolvimento e são dependentes de influências sociais, genéticas e ambientais. Esses diversos fatores estão inter-relacionados de diferentes formas e em diferentes níveis, exercendo um efeito dimensional. São discutidos: a) abordagens para determinar causalidade entre eventos ambientais e transtornos mentais; b) a importância de entendimento dos mecanismos biológicos através dos quais fatores ambientais e genéticos atuam; c) fatores genéticos predizendo a exposição a estressores ambientais; e d) fatores genéticos moderando o efeito de estressores ambientais. CONCLUSÕES: As origens dos transtornos mentais podem ser iluminadas por dados de estudos que utilizam enfoques e conceitos complementares e que integrem influências sociais, genéticas, ambientais e desenvolvimentais.

INTRODUCTION: Developmental psychopathology is a discipline that integrates epidemiological, social, genetic, developmental, and psychopathological perspectives to understand the origins and courses of mental disorders. In the present paper, theoretical concepts and approaches applied with the purpose of understanding the developmental origins of mental disorders are discussed. RESULTS: According to developmental psychopathology, mental disorders are possible outcomes of the developmental process that depend upon social, genetic, and environmental influences. These factors are linked in different ways and levels, exerting a dimensional effect. The following factors are addressed: a) approaches to determine a causal effect between environmental factors and mental disorders; b) the importance of understanding biological mechanisms by which environmental and genetic factors exert their effect; c) genetic factors predicting the exposure to environmental stressors; d) genetic factors moderating the effect of environmental stressors. CONCLUSIONS: The origins of mental disorders can be clarified by data from studies that use complementary approaches and concepts, integrating social, genetic, environmental and developmental influences.