Handling Students’ Mental Health Issues: A gendered approach Dr. Sara Martino

Handling Students’ Mental Health Prevalence of Neurodevelopmental Disorders 1-3% intellectual disabilities (2:1 boys over girls) 5-15% Specific Learning (2:1 boys over girls) 1% Autism spectrum (4:1 boys over girls) 5% ADHD (2:1 boys over girls)

Handling Students’ Mental Health Gender differences in presentation of ADHD: Boys are diagnosed overwhelmingly more than girls. DSM (2013) indicates a diagnosis rate of 2:1 but other research indicates it is as high as 6:1 in certain parts of the country Girls are more likely to have inattention subtype; boys will draw more attention with the hyperactive subtype Gender socialization is sometimes confused with ADHD Boys may have increased risk for comorbid diagnosis of ADHD and ODD/CD

Handling Students’ Mental Health What disorders do you see in the classroom? What behaviors are the biggest distractions to learning?

Handling Students’ Mental Health Prevalence rates of Disruptive disorders ODD: 1-11% with an average of 3.3% (1.5:1 boys over girls) CD: 1-10% with an average of 4% (2:1 boys over girls) Intermittent-Explosive: 2.7% (2:1 boys over girls) (most likely seen in college student population)

Handling Students’ Mental Health Boys Girls Much higher prevalence across impulse disorders Less likely to progress to higher impulse/ASPD Boys more likely to exhibit school discipline problems such as fighting or vandalism Girls are more likely to exhibit irritability or argumentative behavior Boys more likely to display physical aggression Girls more likely to hurt relationships (or turn aggression inward with self-harm) Boys more likely to have forensic involvement Girls’ forensic involvement most likely to be running away from home or truancy (skipping class) Kjelsberg and Friestad (2009)

Handling Students’ Mental Health Female disorders? Prevalence rates for Mood Disorders Self-mutilation: 21% of mental health population (2:1 girls over boys or more) Depression: 7% (3:1 girls over boys) Suicide: not a disorder but RATES of suicide are higher among boys but ATTEMPTS of suicide are higher among girls in adolescence BiPolar Disorder: .6% (1:1 girls and boys; girls more likely to experience depressive symptoms)