Beverly A. Myers

Psychiatric disorders in persons with down syndrome

This study was designed to provide information on the prevalence and nature of psychiatric disorders in 497 individuals with Down syndrome. There were 261 patients under 20 years of age and 164 patients 20 years and older, with both groups followed as outpatients, and 72 residents from a state school. The overall frequency of psychiatric disorders in our study population was 22.1%. Patients under 20 years of age often displayed disruptive behaviors, anxiety disorders, and repetitive behaviors. Individuals with Down syndrome 20 years and older who were followed as outpatients more often exhibited major depressive disorders and state school residents were found to have an increased prevalence of dementia.

Psychiatric Problems in Adolescents with Developmental Disabilities

Abstract One hundred and thirteen adolescents aged 10-21 with developmental disabilities were seen for psychiatric consultation. There were disproportionately more moderate to profoundly retarded individuals, more younger than older adolescents, but no unusual patterns regarding sex or race. A wide range of psychopathology, using DSM-III diagnostic criteria, is noted, with a prominence of conduct disorders and organic mental disorders, but very little drug or alcohol abuse, adolescent suicide, and anorexia nervosa. There is only a tendency for conduct disorders to occur more often in the more severely retarded and for neurotic disorders to occur in the less severely retarded. Those with epilepsy are significantly more likely to have a major psychiatric disorder such as schizophrenia, acute psychosis, organic mental disorders and manic depressive disorder.

Psychopathology in hospitalized developmentally disabled individuals

Abstract Those with developmental disabilities who live in the community do seem to develop different kinds of serious psychopathology that requires hospitalization from those who are not so disabled. They seem to develop psychopathology at a younger age and this may occur more often in males as teenagers. Differences noted in race cannot be emphasized since it is known that blacks tend to score lower on IQ tests, and since the location of the study was in a black, urban district. When the age, sex, and race differences are controlled for, there do not seem to be differences in the frequency of manic depressive illness or schizophrenia. The differences largely lie in the greater frequency of acute psychotic disorders and somewhat lesser frequency of other depressions. This perhaps represents a different kind of responsiveness to stressful events with lesser inhibition occurring in the developmentally disabled than in the nondevelopmentally disabled.

Brief report: A case of schizophrenia in a population with down syndrome

Since we published the survey of psychiatric disorders in an outpatient population of 425 children and adults with Down syndrome where we found no person with schizophrenia (Myers & Pueschel, 1991), we recently observed that a man in this population with Down syndrome has developed schizophrenia

Tardive or Atypical Tourette's Disorder in a Population with Down Syndrome?.

In a population of 425 individuals with Down syndrome, we observed 5 persons (1.2%) with Tourettes disorder. Because the prevalence of Tourettes disorder in the general population has been estimated to be between 0.03% and 1.6%, it is not likely that there is an increased prevalence of Tourettes disorder in Down syndrome, or that there is an interrelationship between Down syndrome and Tourettes disorder. This lack of relationship argues against an atypical Tourettes disorder. The absence of family histories of Tourettes disorder in our patients, the relatively late onset of the disorder in most of our patients, their previous treatment with neuroleptic and psychostimulant medication, and the lack of relationship between Down syndrome and Tourettes disorder in this Down syndrome population are factors that support the diagnosis of tardive Tourettes disorder.

Pseudodementia in the Mentally Retarded A Case Report and Review

Intellectual and behavioral deterioration in an individual who is mentally retarded presents a diagnostic challenge to the clinician, since the deterioration may be the result of the primary disorder or a new process. The mentally retarded individuals limitations in communication make the diagnostic assessment more difficult. The authors report the case of pseudodementia in a mentally retarded teenager presumed to have been caused by impacted otic cerumen and corrected by removal of the cerumen. The discussion includes a review of medical, neurologic, psychiatric, and environmental causes of intellectual and behavioral deterioration.

Patterns of Withdrawal and Avoidance in Developmentally Disabled Adolescents

Specific patterns of withdrawal and avoidance that can be distinguished from Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD) and Childhood Schizophrenia occur in developmentally disabled adolescents. In a study of 113 such adolescents seen for psychiatric problems, 19 cases of patterns of withdrawal were noted. These included: avoidant disorder, 13; schizoid disorder, 3; adjustment disorder with withdrawal, 3. The cases are presented and distinguished from one another and from PDD, Childhood Schizophrenia, and depressive disorders. Demographically, these 19 cases are similar to the total group of 113 developmentally disabled adolescents. Therapeutic interventions are discussed.