Psychiatric Comorbidities in Children with Neurological Disorders: A Narrative Review (Atena Editora)

Abstract

Objective: To analyze psychiatric comorbidities in children with neurological disorders. Bibliographical Review: The psychiatric manifestations of brain changes in children constitute an interesting and comprehensive area, although little explored. Understanding the relationships between brain functioning and behavioral problems in childhood is particularly incipient, in part due to the limitations of childhood psychiatry and neurology. There is plenty of evidence that genetic factors are involved in at least some childhood psychiatric illnesses, but the association between genetic inheritance and behavioral problems may be the result of facts that have nothing to do with the brain's neuronal network. For example, genes for skin color, short stature and obesity, depending on the society in which the child lives, can promote social rejection and, consequently, behavioral problems. Final considerations: Psychiatric comorbidities in children with neurological disorders are relatively little studied. It is noted, however, that these patients are at least twice as likely to present psychiatric disorders, which are more related to neurological changes themselves, especially if accompanied by brain damage, than to the presence of other factors, also relevant in the clinical, such as the stigmatizing and/or chronic nature of the neurological problem, cognitive deficit, low socioeconomic level or inadequate family environment.