Diagnosis: Behavorial Health

Including ADHD, Eating Disorders, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, PTSD, and Substance Use Disorder

According to IBH:

Behavioral health describes the connection between the health and well-being of the body and the mind. This can include a variety of areas – everything from eating habits to drinking habits to exercise and various mental health challenges. Behavioral health can extend to psychiatric conditions, marriage and family counseling, and addiction treatments.

General Resources

Office of Behavioral Health Advocacy Brochure (Spanish Version Here)

Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

The American Psychiatric Association:

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common mental disorders affecting children. ADHD also affects many adults. Symptoms of ADHD include inattention (not being able to keep focus), hyperactivity (excess movement that is not fitting to the setting) and impulsivity (hasty acts that occu

r in the moment without thought).

An estimated 8.4 percent of children and 2.5 percent of adults have ADHD. ADHD is often first identified in school-aged children when it leads to disruption in the classroom or problems with schoolwork. It can also affect adults. It is more common among boys than girls.

Downloadable Resources

Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Fact Sheet
Attention-Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): The Basics (Spanish Version Here)
Identifying and Treating Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: A Resource for School and Home
Understanding Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorders for Caregivers

Articles

Conduct Disorder in Teens with ADHD: Signs, Symptoms, Interventions
Evaluations Part 1: Where to Start When a Student Needs Special Help at School
Ideas and Resources to Support Your Child’s Behavior at School

Websites

Attention Deficit Disorder Association (ADDA)
Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (CHADD)
Learning Disabilities Association of America (LDA)

Eating Disorders

According to the Mayo Clinic:

Eating disorders are serious conditions related to persistent eating behaviors that negatively impact your health, your emotions and your ability to function in important areas of life. The most common eating disorders are anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and binge-eating disorder.

Most eating disorders involve focusing too much on your weight, body shape and food, leading to dangerous eating behaviors. These behaviors can significantly impact your body’s ability to get appropriate nutrition. Eating disorders can harm the heart, digestive system, bones, and teeth and mouth, and lead to other diseases.

Eating disorders often develop in the teen and young adult years, although they can develop at other ages. With treatment, you can return to healthier eating habits and sometimes reverse serious complications caused by the eating disorder.

Downloadable Resources

Eating Disorders
Eating Disorders: About More Than Food (Spanish version available here)
Eating Disorders in Children and Adolescents
Eating Disorders – Your Guide
Facts About Eating Disorders: What The Research Shows
Let’s Talk About Eating Disorders (Spanish version available here)

Articles

A Patient’s Guide to Eating Disorders
Keep Fighting For Recovery
Losing Sight of Myself: Overcoming Bullying and Eating Disorders

Websites

Eating Disorder Hope
National Alliance on Mental Health: Eating Disorders
National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA)
National Institute of Mental Health: Eating Disorders

Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD)

According to Johns Hopkins University:

Oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) is a type of behavior disorder. It is mostly diagnosed in childhood. Children with ODD are uncooperative, defiant, and hostile toward peers, parents, teachers, and other authority figures. They are more troubling to others than they are to themselves.

Downloadable Resources

Children with Oppositional Defiant Disorder
Info Sheet: Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD)
Oppositional Defiant Disorder
Oppositional Defiant Disorder: Recommendations for Teachers and Parents

Articles

What Is Oppositional Defiant Disorder?
What You Can Do to Change Your Child’s Behavior

Websites

Behavior or Conduct Problems in Children
Conduct Disorders
Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) in Children
Oppositional Defiant Disorder Treatment

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

As stated by the Mayo Clinic:

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental health condition that’s triggered by a terrifying event — either experiencing it or witnessing it. Symptoms may include flashbacks, nightmares and severe anxiety, as well as uncontrollable thoughts about the event.

Most people who go through traumatic events may have temporary difficulty adjusting and coping, but with time and good self-care, they usually get better. If the symptoms get worse, last for months or even years, and interfere with your day-to-day functioning, you may have PTSD.

Getting effective treatment after PTSD symptoms develop can be critical to reduce symptoms and improve function.

Downloadable Resources

Childhood Traumatic Grief: Information for Parents and Caregivers
Dissociation and PTSD: What Parents Should Know
Helping Children and Adolescents Cope With Disasters and Other Traumatic Events (Spanish Version Here)
Mental Health Issues and Conditions in Children and Youth Exposed to Human-caused Disasters
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (Spanish Version Here)
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
The Heart of Learning and Teaching: Compassion, Resiliency, and Academic Success

Articles

Coping with Traumatic Events
Helping a Family Member Who Has PTSD
Helping Children Cope with Emergencies
What Is Posttraumatic Stress Disorder?

Websites

National Child Traumatic Stress Network
National Institute of Mental Health: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Post-traumatic Stress Disorder in Children
Veterans Affairs: National Center for PTSD

Substance Use Disorder (SUD)

The Merck Manual states:

Substance use disorders are a type of substance-related disorder that involve a pathologic pattern of behaviors in which patients continue to use a substance despite experiencing significant problems related to its use. There may also be physiologic manifestations, including changes in brain circuitry.

The substances involved are typically members of the 10 classes of drug that typically cause substance-related disorders. These substances all directly activate the brain reward system and produce feelings of pleasure. The activation may be so intense that patients intensely crave the substance and neglect normal activities to obtain and use it.

The common terms “addiction,” “abuse,” and “dependence” have often been used with regard to substance use, but these terms are too loosely and variably defined to be very useful in systematic diagnosis. Substance use disorder is more comprehensive and has fewer negative connotations.

Downloadable Resources

Drugs, Brains, and Behavior: The Science of Addiction (Spanish Version Here)
Medicaid-Funded Behavioral Health Treatment
Principles of Substance Abuse Prevention for Early Childhood
Step by Step Guides to Finding Treatment for Drug Use Disorders
Substance Misuse Prevention for Young Adults
Why You Should Talk with Your Child About Alcohol and Other Drugs

Articles

Drugs and the Brain
How Addiction Affects The Transgender Community
Understanding Drug Use and Addiction

Websites

Drug Facts for Teens
Mental Illness and Substance Use in Young Adults
National Institute on Drug Abuse
Recovery Research Institute
Sober Families
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)