The findings of this review stress the need to improve the knowledge, competence and attitudes of practitioners within the DD field via training and practice opportunities. In light of this review, recommendations for improving training opportunities and for conducting future research are made.

SynopsisSerum concentrations of the third and fourth components of the complement system and total complement haemolytic activity were measured in 167 psychiatric patients. Total complement haemolytic activity was decreased in chronic schizophrenic patients as compared to healthy controls and bipolar patients. The relatively diminished total haemolytic activity was not attributable to drug treatment. It is not clear if the reduced total haemolytic activity is an epiphenomenon or related to the involvement of an autoimmune process in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia.

This study reports on the extent of behavior problems in Israeli adolescents suffering from chronic illness. A comparison was made between parent-reported and self-reported behavioral symptomatology using the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) and the Youth Self-Report (YSR). 103 outpatients, aged 11-16 years, suffering from cystic fibrosis (CF), asthma, or hematological/oncological conditions were assessed. Healthy adolescents and adolescents referred for psychiatric assessment comprised the comparison groups. Parent- and self-reports were significantly positively correlated in each group (all chronically ill children r = .22; Healthy group r = .27; psychiatric group r = .50), but the correlations were particularly low (and non-significant) in younger adolescents with hematological/oncological conditions or HCF., pointing to the need for physicians to include parents' and adolescents' viewpoints in their assessments of these adolescents' psychosocial state. The mean number of parent-reported and self-reported behavior problems in the illness groups was no different from that of the Healthy group but significantly lower than that of the psychiatric group.

The study evaluated the prevalence of DSM-IV-TR-defined psychiatric disorders in adolescents with mental retardation, with a focus on obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), for which data at present are sparse. Eighty-seven adolescents with mild to moderate mental retardation attending the Israeli special-education system were screened for psychiatric disorders in general and obsessive-compulsive symptoms in particular. Sixty-one percent had at least one psychiatric disorder. Of the 13 participants receiving antipsychotic medication, none had an underlying psychotic disorder and most had anxiety or depressive disorders. OCD was detected in 11% of participants and was characterized by high rates of psychiatric comorbidities. The severity of autistic symptoms predicted 39% of the variance in the severity of OCD symptoms. Adolescents with mild to moderate mental retardation have high rates of psychiatric morbidities that are often inappropriately treated. OCD is prevalent in this population and is strongly associated with autistic symptoms. Further studies are required in adolescents with mental retardation to better delineate psychiatric morbidities and their appropriate treatment in this at-risk population.