Mental health in children: an overview

Definitions and concepts of mental health/disorder in adults cannot be always generalised to childhood population. Developmental psychopathology is an emerging discipline and focuses on psychopathology as developmental deviations. Temperament differs from personality, which is a combination of temperament and life experiences. Classification systems may be categorical or dimensional. Subtle damage insufficient to cause definite neurological signs or structural changes can cause behavioural problem later on. Dramatic advance has occurred in concept of psychiatric assessment of children in recent years. Prevention aims to reduce quantity and burden of psychiatric disorder in a population. Childhood psychiatric disorders have been shown to have significant continuity into adulthood.