Psychopatology and deafness. A perspective rom child and adolescent psychiatry

Abstract

Some years ago, the main cause of deafness was the rubella and meningitis infections. Nevertheless, nowadays the trend has changed towards a decreasing of the cases of deaf children produced by the latter infections and a sharp increasing of the cases due to premature births. Some authors consider the mental health problems in deaf children around the double than in hearing children, although others disagree with these theories linking the high prevalence of psychiatric diagnosis in deaf people to the misunderstanding about the language and culture of deaf population. Overall, we can identify certain risk factors, which
can lead to deaf children to suffer psychiatric problems. Some of these are the delays in the language learning, and the secondary difficulties in the development of close and steady relationships with their peers. The latter factors can lead to low self-esteem and altogether to affective disorders. A better knowledge by the psychiatrists about deafness and the deaf culture would ease an adequate approach of the deaf children and adolescent with mental health problems.