Prevalence of elimination disorders and comorbid psychiatric disorders in Iranian children and adolescents.

Background: The present study aimed to investigate the prevalence of substance use disorder in Iranian children and adolescents and its relationship with demographic characteristics and psychiatric comorbidities. Methods: The data were taken from a national survey on the prevalence of psychiatric disorders in Iranian children and adolescents. The national survey was conducted on 30,532 children and adolescents aged 6-18 years which were selected using multistage cluster sampling. The psychiatric disorders were assessed by employing k-SADS-PL questionnaire and interviews carried out by 240 clinical psychologists with the participants and their parents. Data were analyzed by Chi-square test and logistic regression. Results: A total of 277 (0.97%) were diagnosed as people with substance use disorder that were further studied for comorbid disorders. Among the various types of drugs, hypnotic/sedative/anti-anxiety drugs were abused by 84 people (46.15%), cannabis by 68 (37.36%) and stimulants by 43 (23.63%). The variables of gender, place of residence, and father’s occupation and parents’ education level were identified as predictors of substance use disorder in children and adolescents. At the same time, 42.50% substances and alcohol abusing people had at least one comorbid psychiatric disorder and the highest comorbidity was observed in oppositional defiant disorder, attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder and separation anxiety disorder (p≤0.05). Conclusion: The findings can be used in the prevention and treatment of substance use disorder and promotion of mental health in children and adolescents by focusing on the psychiatric comorbidities of people with substance use disorder.

Psychiatric disorders in children and adolescents: Prevalence and sociodemographic correlates in Semnan Province in Iran.

The purpose of this study was to examine the rate of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in adolescents with bipolar disorder and to explore the potential effects of comorbid attention deficit hyperactivity disorder on the phenomenology of adolescent bipolar disorder. The authors assessed the rate of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder for adolescents with bipolar disorder who were hospitalized for treatment of acute mania or hypomania. Eight (57%) of 14 adolescent bipolar patients also met DSM-III-R criteria for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Patients with both disorders were more likely to be male and Caucasian and to have mixed rather than manic bipolar disorder. Patients with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder had a higher mean total score on the Young Mania Rating Scale than patients with bipolar disorder alone. Although preliminary, these findings may have important implications regarding the potential relationship between bipolar disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Objective:The aim of the present study was to investigate the epidemiology of psychiatric disorders in children and adolescents in five provinces of Iran: Tehran, Shiraz, Isfahan, Tabriz and Mashhad.Method:In the present study, we selected 9,636 children and adolescents aged 6–18 years through multistage cluster random sampling method from Tehran, Shiraz, Isfahan, Tabriz and Mashhad. We instructed the clinical psychologists to complete the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) for the participants, andthose who received a high score on SDQ, completed the Persian version of Kiddie-SADS-Present and Lifetime Version (K-SADS-PL). We used descriptive analysis and 95% confidence interval to investigate the relationship between scores of the K-SADS questionnaire and demographic factors. We used one-way ANOVA to test the significant differences among the disorders according to sex, age and province of residence.Results:Based on the results, oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) (4.45%) had the highest prevalence of psychiatric disorders in the five provinces and substance abuse and alcohol abuse (0%) had the lowest prevalence. In addition, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) had the most prevalence in boys (5.03%) and ODD had the most prevalence in girls (4.05%). Among the three age groups, 6 to 9 year olds had the highest rates of ADHD (5.69%); 10 to 14 and 15 to 18 year olds had the highest rates of ODD (4.32% and 4.37% respectively). Among the five provinces, Tehran and Mashhad allocated the highest rates of ODD; Isfahan and Shiraz had the highest rates of ADHD; and Tabriz had the highest rates of social phobia.Conclusion:The current study revealed that the overall frequency of psychiatric disorders based on Kiddie-SADS-Present and Lifetime Version (K-SADS-PL) was higher than a similar study. Moreover, in this study, among the five provinces, Tehran and Mashhad allocated the highest rates of ODD; Isfahan and Shiraz had the highest rates of ADHD; and Tabriz had the highest rates of social phobia. Therefore, these percentage of psychiatric disorders in Iran lead us toward a greater use of consultation and mental health services

Background: There are numerous reports regarding increasing childhood and adolescent mental health problems. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of psychiatric disorders in Hamadan Province, west of Iran from July 2016 to May 2017.Study design: A cross-sectional study.Methods: The sample included 1025 Hamadan residents selected using multistage cluster sampling. Psychiatric disorders were assessed by semi-structured psychiatric interview Kiddie-Sads-Present and Lifetime Version (K-SADS-PL). The data were analyzed using the SPSS software. We used the multivariable logistic regression to predict the Odds Ratios (ORs).Results: The prevalence of total psychiatric disorder was 8.6%. Psychiatric disorders in boys were higher than girls (12.6% and 4.9%, respectively). The psychiatric disorders were most prevalent in 6-9 yr old age group (11%). The prevalence of behavioral disorder was 3.8% with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) as the most prevalent case (2.0%). The prevalence of anxiety disorder was 2.8% in which the highest prevalence belonged to separation anxiety disorder (SAD) (1.1%). The prevalence of neurodevelopment disorder was 1.5% with the highest prevalence of 1% observed in epilepsy. The prevalence of mood disorder was 1.1% with the depressive disorder as the most prevalent one (1.0%). The prevalence of enuresis was 2.7%. The most common comorbidities were anxiety and mood disorders 5(50.0%).Conclusion: The prevalence of these disorders in Hamadan was less than the prevalence in other cities of Iran. These findings can be helpful for large-scale planning for children and adolescents.

Background: Children and adolescents are the potential capitals of communities. Therefore, their physical, mental, social, and spiritual health is of great importance. Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of psychiatric disorders among children and adolescents in Southern Khorasan province, Iran. Methods: This cross-sectional descriptive-correlational study was conducted in 2017. Study population consisted of children and adolescents aged 6–18 who lived in Southern Khorasan province, Iran. A sample of 1029 children and adolescents was selected through multistage cluster sampling. Data were collected using the Kiddie Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia-Present and Lifetime Version (K-SADS-PL) and analyzed using the SPSS software (v. 19.0) and by conducting the Fisher’s exact test. Results: The overall prevalence of psychiatric disorders among children and adolescents in Southern Khorasan province, Iran, was 15.2%. The prevalence of these disorders among male and female participants was 15.5% and 14.8%, respectively. Moreover, the prevalence was 13.1% in the 6 - 9 age group, 15.5% in the 10 - 14 age group, and 17% in the 15 - 18 age group. In addition, the prevalence of psychiatric disorders among participants who lived in urban and rural areas was 18.9% and 6.3%, respectively. The most prevalent psychiatric disorders were respectively separation anxiety (5.2%), obsessive-compulsive disorder (3.5%), generalized anxiety disorder (3%), enuresis (2.9%), oppositional defiant disorder (2.4%), depression, special phobias, attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (1.6%), agoraphobia (1%), and social phobia (0.8%). Conclusions: Need-based age-appropriate mental health services are needed to promote mental health among children and adolescents.

ObjectiveWe aimed to determine distribution and diversities of psychiatric comorbidities in children and adolescents with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in terms of age groups, sex, and ADHD subtype.Materials and methodsThe sample included 6–18 year old children and adolescents from Turkey (N=108; 83 boys, 25 girls) diagnosed with ADHD. All comorbid diagnoses were determined based on the Kiddie Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children-Present and Lifetime Version assessment.Results96.3% of the cases were found to have at least one psychiatric comorbid diagnosis. The most frequent psychiatric comorbid disorder was oppositional defiant disorder (69.4%) followed by anxiety disorders (49%) and elimination disorders (27.8%). Disruptive behavior disorders were more common in ADHD-combined type. Depression and anxiety disorders were more common in girls. Separation anxiety disorder and elimination disorder were more common in children, whereas depression, bipolar disorder, obsessive–compulsive disorder, and social phobia were more common in the adolescents.ConclusionAccording to our results, when a diagnostic tool was used to assess the presence of comorbid psychiatric disorders in children and adolescents diagnosed with ADHD, almost all cases had at least one comorbid diagnosis. Therefore, especially in the clinical sample, ADHD cases should not be solely interpreted with ADHD symptom domains, instead they should be investigated properly in terms of accompanying psychiatric disorders.

BackgroundAttention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common psychiatric disorder in children that can extend into adulthood and that is often associated with a variety of comorbid psychiatric disorders.AimAssess the comorbidity of ADHD with anxiety disorders and depressive disorders in school-aged children, and the relationship of the severity of ADHD, anxiety, and depressive symptoms in children who have ADHD with the severity of the corresponding symptoms in their parents.MethodsA two-stage screening process identified children 7-10 years of age with and without ADHD treated at the Xin Hua Hospital in Shanghai. ADHD and other DSM-IV diagnoses were determined by a senior clinician using the Schedule for Affective Disorder and Schizophrenia for School-Aged Children (K-SADS-PL). One parent for each enrolled child completed three self-report scales: the ADHD Adult Self Report Scale (ASRS), the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). In total 135 children with ADHD and 65 control group children without ADHD were enrolled; parents for 94 of the children with ADHD and 63 of the children without ADHD completed the parental assessment scales.ResultsAmong the 135 children with ADHD, 27% had a comorbid anxiety disorder, 18% had a comorbid depressive disorder, and another 15% had both comorbid anxiety and depressive disorders. Parents of children with ADHD self-reported more severe ADHD inattention symptoms than parents of children without ADHD and were more likely to meet criteria for adult ADHD. Mothers (but not fathers) of children with ADHD had significantly more severe trait anxiety and depressive symptoms than mothers of children without ADHD. Among children with ADHD, the severity of ADHD symptoms was not significantly correlated with the severity of ADHD symptoms in parents, but depressive symptoms and anxiety symptoms in the children were significantly correlated with the corresponding symptoms in the parents.ConclusionSchool-aged children with ADHD commonly suffer from comorbid anxiety and depressive disorders, and the severity of these symptoms parallels the level of anxiety and depressive symptoms in their parents. Self-reported symptoms of ADHD are significantly more common in parents of children with ADHD than in parents of children without ADHD. Longitudinal studies are needed to disentangle the genetic, biological, and social factors responsible for these complex inter-relationships.

ADHD and “eye problems”

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder with estimated worldwide prevalence of 7.2% in children and adolescents. Comorbidity of psychiatric disorders is considered common in ADHD and has been found to contribute to poorer prognosis. Despite decades of research, the actual prevalence of comorbid psychiatric disorders in children and adolescents with ADHD is unclear. The purpose of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to investigate the prevalence of comorbid disorders in children and adolescents with ADHD. Embase OVID, Ovid MEDLINE and PsycINFO were systematically searched for eligible studies published up to February 2025. In total 121 studies involving 39,894 children and adolescents with ADHD diagnosis were included. The most common comorbid disorders were Oppositional Defiant Disorder (34.7%), Behavior Disorders (30.7%), Anxiety Disorders (18.4%), Specific phobias (11.0%), Enuresis (10.8%), and Conduct Disorder (CD) (10.7%). All individual disorders studied had a higher prevalence among children and adolescents with ADHD than in the general population. Few gender differences were found; higher prevalence of CD among boys and higher of OCD in girls. The findings indicate that comorbid psychiatric disorders are highly prevalent in children and adolescents with ADHD and must be considered in both assessment and treatment of ADHD. PROSPERO registration: ID CRD42022359965.

Objectives: The current cross-sectional study aimed to investigate the prevalence of psychiatric disorders in children and adolescents in the Hormozgan province in Iran. Methods: 1005 children and adolescents aged 6 to 18 years who were living in Hormozgan province participated in this communitybased study. Participants were selected using the stratified random cluster sampling and were instructed to fill the Persian version of Kiddie-Sads-Present and Lifetime Version (K-SADS-PL). Demographic data were also collected (i.e., gender, age, education, parents’ education, and socioeconomic status). Descriptive analysis and 95% confidence interval were used to investigate the relationship between the scores of the K-SADS-PL questionnaire and the demographic factors. Logistic regression was used to calculate the OR of the diagnosis with a psychiatric disorder according to sex, age, and socioeconomic status. Results: The overall prevalence in children and adolescents was 16.01%. No statistically significant difference was found concerning gender in regards to the frequency of psychiatric disorders. The most prevalent psychiatric disorders were separation anxiety disorder (4.2%), attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (2.5%), and oppositional defiant disorder (2.5%), while anorexia nervosa (0.1%) had the lowest prevalence. Conclusions: The frequency of psychiatric disorders in adolescents in Hormozgan province is comparable to the reports from other countries. The results of this study can be used to develop more specific preventive and therapeutic measures, focused on the highest risk subgroups.

Introduction: Due to significant social, economic, cultural, and lifestyle changes in Iran during past decades and the relationship among the unstable social and economic status and mental complications the study of psychiatric disorders has become important and necessary, the aim of this study was epidemiology of psychiatric disorders in children and adolescents.
 Methods: A total of 1035 children aged 6-18 years from Yazd Province, Iran were enrolled in this cross-sectional study in 2017 using a multistage cluster sampling method. Data were collected using the following inventories for school-age children (6-18 years): Kiddie-SADS-Present and Lifetime Version (K-SAD-SPL). Logistic regression and SPSS version 16 software were used for data analysis.
 Results: 44.1% of participants were boys and 55.9% were girls. The mean age of the participants was 11.3±3.9 years. The prevalence of psychiatric disorders in children and adolescents was 35.5%. Meanwhile, anxiety disorders had the highest prevalence rate (22.2%) and among anxiety disorders, separation anxiety disorder (8.7%) and generalized anxiety (8.6%) were the most prevalent. There was a significant difference in all psychiatric disorders based on gender, more evident in the high rate of obsessive-compulsive disorder, enuresis, tic, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, hyperactivity, oppositional defiant disorder, conduct disorder, smoking disorder, and epilepsy were more evident in boys (P-value < 0.05).
 Conclusion: The prevalence rate of psychiatric disorders in young population of Yazd Province is relatively high and because of its impact on individuals' social and personal function, it could have substantial implications for mental health services.

Introduction: Epilepsy is a common disorder worldwide, commonly starting during childhood. Despite the high impact of psychiatric comorbidities in these patients, little is known about Iranian children with epilepsy. Methods: This cross sectional study was carried out in the tertiary clinics of the Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran. All of the children (aged between 6 and 18) with a diagnosis of epilepsy were enrolled in this study. A semi-structured psychiatric interview was carried out using the Farsi (Persian) version of the Kiddie Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia-Present and Lifetime Version (K-SADS-PL). Results: From a total of 298 participants, 270 (90.6%) completed the process, including 120 (44.4%) girls and 150 (55.6%) boys. At least one psychiatric diagnosis was made in 222 (82.2%) patients. The most prevalent psychiatric disorders in children and adolescents with epilepsy were attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (34.4%), major depressive disorder (MDD) (29.6%), social phobia (14.8%) and oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) (14.8%). Agoraphobia and anorexia nervosa were significantly more prevalent among girls. The following disorders were more prevalent in children aged between 13 and 18: MDD (47.5%), psychotic disorder (2.5%), social phobia (23.7%), generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) (15.3%), conduct disorder (13.6%), chronic motor tic disorder (13.6%) and substance related disorders (4.8%). Separation anxiety (15.1%) and enuresis (1.5%), on the other hand, were more prevalent among younger children. A logistic regression model showed that psychiatric disorders in parents or siblings could independently predict at least one psychiatric comorbidity in children with epilepsy.Conclusion: Iranian children with epilepsy face a high burden of psychiatric and behavioral comorbidities compared to same aged general population that should be considered for comprehensive care.

There is an association between bruxism and ADHD. No published data on psychiatric comorbidities in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) children with bruxism were found. There is no satisfying treatment method for children with bruxism. If we understand its comorbidities well, a better treatment method could come out. This study was conducted to compare the frequency of comorbid psychiatric disorders in the parents and their ADHD children with and without teeth grinding. It was hypothesized that there is no association between bruxism and prevalence of comorbid psychiatric disorders in children with ADHD and their parental psychopathology. Eighty-nine ADHD children without teeth grinding were compared with 32 ADHD children with teeth grinding. Their parental psychiatric disorders were also compared. Structured interviews were used to diagnose comorbid psychiatric disorders. The demographic characteristics of the children and their parents were not different between the groups. The only psychiatric disorder in children, which was associated with the groups was oppositional defiant disorder. The rate of conduct disorder, tic disorder, major depressive disorder, separation anxiety disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, enuresis, and obsessive compulsive disorder were not different between the two groups of children. The rate of major depression was more in the mothers of children with teeth grinding than those without such children. These finding were not reported before. ADHD children with teeth grinding have a high prevalence of oppositional defiant disorder. Lack of association between anxiety disorder and presence of teeth grinding might not support the idea that anxiety is associated with teeth grinding. The association of ODD and teeth girding might be a clue about etiology of bruxism. Perhaps, this clue can probably lead to the development of a more satisfying treatment. With consideration of this clue, further studies should survey if there is any association between ODD and sleep micro-arousals.

Background:Epidemiology, the study of patterns of disease distribution in time and space, can help to improve mental health services for children and adolescents by increasing understanding of causes, development, and course of psychiatric disorders.Objectives:To describe the prevalence of DSM-IV TR psychiatric disorders and comorbidities in students of Paveh, one of the western cities in Iran.Materials and Methods:The participants of this cross sectional survey were 379 children and adolescents aged 6-18 years old that were selected by multistage cluster sampling method. They were screened in the first phase of the study by two screening tools. In the second phase, 141 students were assessed by K-SADS-PL psychiatric interview.Results:The overall prevalence of DSM-IV TR disorders in this population according to psychiatric interview was 24.4%. The most common disorder was attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (11.9%) and then generalized anxiety disorder (11.3%), social phobia (6.2%), and separation anxiety disorder (6.2%). There was no significant difference between two sex and age groups except enuresis.Conclusions:The prevalence of psychiatric disorders in Paveh is comparable to other areas of Iran and the world. The high prevalence of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder needs more consideration and treatment plans.