Treatment of psychiatric disorders in children and adolescents.

Children's mental disorders are frequent, often chronic, and precursors of adult dysfunction. Most of the 9 million children with mental disorders go untreated. The successful treatment of childhood disorders represents a major public health concern. Although no cure is available for any condition, effective treatments exist. These include psychotherapies, such as behavioral treatment, parental therapy, family therapy, and medications. Mood disorders may respond to psychotherapeutic and pharmacological treatments. Anxiety disorders have been found to respond to medication and psychotherapeutic interventions. Hyperactivity disorders benefit greatly from stimulant medications, as do conduct disorders. Combining medication with behavioral treatment provides optimal efficacy in hyperactive children. Favorable outcomes in conduct disorders are also obtained from psychotherapeutic interventions with parents and children. In autism, the most severely handicapping childhood disorder, treatment can reduce disturbance to a level that enables the child to remain in the home rather than being placed in an institutional setting. The motor and phonic tics of tourette's disorder can be controlled with medication. Symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder can be improved through psychotherapeutic treatments. There is an array of therapeutic interventions that can bring meaningful relief to children with serious, chronic mental disorders. Their successful application is a wise investment, given the pain, long-term disadvantages, and financial costs associated with untreated childhood behavioral and emotional disorders.