Childhood Mental Health: Early intervention as Prevention

Childhood Mental Health: Early intervention as Prevention

William Copeland, PhD

Center for Developmental EpidemiologyDuke University Medical Center

Mental Health American Atlanta, GA

Sept 11th 2014

No conflicts of interest or financial disclosures

Grant support from NIMH, NIDA, NARSAD, and W.T. Grant

The best plan to reduce the burden of mental illness is to reduce the number of

childhood cases

Early Intervention is Prevention

Childhood MH problems can be easily identified

Substantial number of childhood cases Childhood MH problems predict adult MH

problems Adult MH issue often start in childhood Setting in which children can be screened Treatments are efficacious/effective

GSMS

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24+

Age

Su

bje

cts

Ass

esse

d

Great Smoky Mountain Study

No Dx86.8%

1 dx7.1%

3+ dx 2.9%

How common is MI?3 month Prevalence

Another 16% have a impairment but not a disorders

Of those with a disorder, about half also have a functional impairment (SED)

How common are psychiatric disorders?

Cumulative Burden

13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 250

20

40

60

80

100

Age

Pre

vale

nce

Global Burden of Disease 2010

Females 15-19 Females 20-24 Males 15-19 Males 20-240%

10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%

100%

55.9 54.134.8 33.0

12.6 12.239.3 37.2

Mental Health Substance Use Other NeuropsychMaternal Conditions Injuries Other CommunicableOther Non Communicable HIV/TB

Gore, FM., Bloem, PJN, Patton, GC, Ferguson, J, Joseph, V, Coffey, C, Sawyer, SM, & Mathers, CD (2011). Global burden of disease in young people aged 10–24 years: a systematic analysis. Lancet, DOI:10.1016/S0140-6736(11)60512-6

53%

24%

23%

Childhood diagnosis Sub-clinical problemsNo childhood diagnosis

How often does mental illness early?

Risk for adult disorders

No dx or impair.

Impair. Only

Any dx.

Anxiety

Depression

Behavior

0 20 40 60 80

Continuity from childhood:Adult status

Childhood dx Any dx No Sub.No dx or impair. 20.8 11.3Impairment only 29.9 22.8Any disorder 59.1 40.5 Anxiety 60.6 44.2 Depression 67.1 52.3 DBD 55.8 39.9 Substance 71.4 37.6

Key Outcomes

Multiple mental health problems Dropping out of high school Death Serious criminal activity Unable to keep job Early parenthood Extended unemployment No social support network

Any key outcome

2+ key outcomes

0

25

50

75

100

Noncases Subclinical onlyCases

Pe

rce

nt

18.76

37.41

43.8

Any key outcome

Noncases Subclinical only Psychiatric cases

8.5

43.6

48

2+ key outcomes

Noncases Subclinical only Psychiatric cases

As compared to noncases, childhood cases were: 7 times as likely to report a key outcome 12 times as likely to report 2 outcomes

6 times as likely to have multiple MH issues 8 time as likely to have 2+ addictions 14 times as likely to be incarcerated 6 times as likely to drop out of high school 8 times as likely to lack all social support

Do they get help?Service Utilization Rates

9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 260

25

50

75

100

Service use Conditional service use

Pre

vale

nce

Childhood Young Adulthood

Conditional Service Utilization Rates

Childhood %

Young Adulthood%

Any* 50.7 24.2

Specialty Psych* 19.0 10.0

Gen. Med. 10.4 7.2

Education/Job* 23.7 0.3

Crim. Justice 5.4 5.4

Informal* 16.8 7.6

Early Intervention is Prevention

Childhood MH problems can be easily identified

Childhood MH problems predict adult MH problems

Adult MH issues often start in childhood Treatments are efficacious/effective Early problems can be avoided

Childhood present a distinct

challenge for mental health public policy

Many children affected High levels of unmet need Care not always optimal Story gets worse in young adulthood

It also presents an opportunity

Prevent adult MH problems Improve the transition to adulthood for

many Change MH trajectories that can last for

decades

Ideas Early identification

Universal home visitation Universal MH screening in schools

Reduce parental burden Universal child care

Improve access Integrated MH clinics

1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19 21 23$0

$500

$1,000

$1,500

$2,000

$2,500

Hospital Costs: Control Families Hospital Costs: DC FamiliesChild Age in Months

Cu

mu

lati

ve P

er C

hil

d C

ost

Mean Cumulative ED-Related costs