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This outcome study of adolescent eating disorders provides further evidence that the long-term course of the disorders in terms of the eating pathology is better than can be expected after a few years. Very little can be said with regard to individual prognosis.

In order to classify attention-deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in 11-year-old children, the role of specific attentional and motor deficits was examined. Participants comprised 22 children with ADHD (19 male, 3 female; median age 11 years, range 8.8 to 13.5 years) and 20 control children (17 male, 3 female; median age 10.6 years, range 8.2 to 12.6 years). Neuromotor assessment indicated that while both groups needed more time to complete finger compared to hand movements, this increase was more pronounced in children with ADHD. Reaction-time testing with continuous-force recording identified both motor and attentional deficits in children with ADHD. Longer intervals between force onset and force peak, and higher rate of responses with multiple force peaks (particularly in the bilateral condition) revealed specific deficits in the speed and quality of their motor output. Increase in errors and variability of force onsets indicated attentional deficits. Prediction analysis indicated that force-onset variability contributed significantly to group classification which was 85.7% correct. Neither neuromotor assessment nor specific motor deficits contributed significantly to classification, indicating that pure motor-speed measures play a minor role in characterizing ADHD in this age range.

This systematic study supports single case observations of a heightened psychiatric vulnerability of adolescent and young adult PWS subjects.

In order to classify attention-deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in 11-year-old children, the role of specific attentional and motor deficits was examined. Participants comprised 22 children with ADHD (19 male, 3 female; median age 11 years, range 8.8 to 13.5 years) and 20 control children (17 male, 3 female; median age 10.6 years, range 8.2 to 12.6 years). Neuromotor assessment indicated that while both groups needed more time to complete finger compared to hand movements, this increase was more pronounced in children with ADHD. Reaction-time testing with continuous-force recording identified both motor and attentional deficits in children with ADHD. Longer intervals between force onset and force peak, and higher rate of responses with multiple force peaks (particularly in the bilateral condition) revealed specific deficits in the speed and quality of their motor output. Increase in errors and variability of force onsets indicated attentional deficits. Prediction analysis indicated that force-onset variability contributed significantly to group classification which was 85.7% correct. Neither neuromotor assessment nor specific motor deficits contributed significantly to classification, indicating that pure motor-speed measures play a minor role in characterizing ADHD in this age range.

Objective:  Affective disorders were studied in two epidemiological studies of children and adolescents in the Canton of Zurich, Switzerland. Method:  In the Zurich Epidemiological Study of Child and Adolescent Psychopathology Study (ZESCAP) in 1994 a representative cohort of 1964 pupils aged 7–16 years was studied. The Zurich Adolescent Psychology and Psychopathology Study (ZAPPS) included 1089 adolescents aged 15–19 years who were assessed in 1997. A two‐stage approach with questionnaire screening of the entire sample in stage 1 and consecutive interviews in stage 2 was used in both studies. Diagnoses according to DSM‐III‐R were derived from structured parent interviews in the ZESCAP and from both parent and adolescent interviews in the ZAPPS. Results:  The total prevalence rate for affective disorders in the ZESCAP was 0.66% (SE 0.25) whereas it was 5.1% based on adolescent interviews and 1.2% based on parent interviews in the ZAPPS. Adolescent girls have significantly higher prevalence rates for affective disorders than boys (9.4 vs. 1.1%). Conclusion:  These findings are in accordance with various other international epidemiological studies on affective disorders in children and adolescents.

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