[Psychosocial conditions of attempted suicide among children and adolescents in the light of our studies]. / Psychospoleczne uwarunkowania prób samobójczych u dzieci i mlodziezy na podstawie badan wlasnych.

The study comprised 30 children aged 12 to 17 years, including 22 females and 8 males, treated or consulted in the Psychiatry Department of the Medical Academy Institute of Pediatrics in Warsaw due to the realized trial of suicide. The psycho-demographical and the biological factors as well as direct causes preceding the suicidal trial have been analysed. It has been stated that the suicidal trials are dominated by the family conflicts and the bad emotional contacts among both the parents and children which in a majority of cases are associated by problems of school education. The cognitive functions of subjects studied were on the whole within the normal range.

[Mental disorders in children with epilepsy]. / Zaburzenia psychiczne u dzieci chorych na padaczke.

In a group of 80 epileptic children aged 10-11-12 years in 75% of cases psychic changes were found, including disturbances of intellectual abilities of the oligophrenic-dementive type, and personality disorders. The cause of these disturbances was organic brain damage due mainly to pathological events in pregnancy and labour, and to mechanical craniocerebral trauma in early childhood. Other causes included: duration, type and frequency of seizures and longstanding pharmacological polytherapy not considering the interaction of drugs. The coexistent neurotic symptoms in 60% out of 80 studied children were caused by abnormal family situation and situation in school which had undoubtedly an effect on the prognosis and course of epilepsy in children.

[Difficulties in the diagnosis of epilepsy in children]. / Trudnosci diagnostyczne w rozpoznawaniu padaczki u dzieci.

On the basis of an analysis of 3 cases it was shown that the occurrence of seizure-like symptoms with abnormal EEG and history data suggesting possible damage to the central nervous system are not always sufficient for an unequivocal diagnosis of epilepsy and for beginning of long-term antiepileptic treatment which is not without adverse effects on the developing organism of a child. For establishing of correct diagnosis and avoiding of too hasty introduction of anticonvulsant treatment not only careful history and family data and pathological EEG tracings should be considered, but the seizure-like symptoms and results of laboratory investigations should be carefully analysed. On many cases, especially in younger children, the diagnosis should be established in hospital.

[Evaluation of the mental state of children with early-childhood onset of epilepsy treated between 1977 and 1981 (preliminary report)]. / Ocena stanu psychicznego dzieci z padaczka wczesnodziecieca leczonych w latach 1977-1981 (doniesienie wstepne).

From a group of 248 cases of epilepsy observed in the last five years 69 (28%) children, 32 boys and 37 girls, were isolated (aged from several months to 14 years) in whom the first epileptic seizures appeared at the age of 3 years or less. The subgroups were subjected to detailed psychiatric-psychological analysis for establishing whether epilepsy beginning in the life period of the most intense developmental processes may have any decisive influence on the psychic development and social adaptation of the child. It was found that children with epilepsy beginning at the age below 3 years require not only a careful differential diagnosis but even more a comprehensive therapeutic management, which should include, besides systematic administration of drugs and periodic EEG control also a continuous psychological and psychiatric supervision and care which would ensure a possibly optimal development of mental skills and social adaptation in the family and outside it.