Emotionally unstable adolescents – a current challenge of child psychiatry and pediatrics

Czech version

Authors: Kocourková Jana; Koutek Jiří; Kolouch David
Authors‘ workplace: Dětská psychiatrická klinika, 2. lékařská fakulta, Univerzita Karlova a FN Motol, Praha
Published in: Čes-slov Pediat 2023; 78 (6): 298-302.
Category: Chapters for Specialization in Pediatrics
doi: https://doi.org/10.55095/CSPediatrie2023/050

Overview

Emotionally unstable adolescents, mainly girls, represent the largest group of patients currently hospitalized in children’s inpatient pedopsychiatric departments. At the same time, these patients require the cooperation of pediatricians, especially in cases of self-harm, intoxication, including suicide attempts. An important aspect is the assessment of suicidal risk. Emotional instability in adolescence represents a spectrum of severity, starting with emotional lability common in adolescence, up to disturbance in personality development, which in the most serious case can result in emotionally unstable - borderline personality disorder. Typical features of this personality disorder are, for example, abandonment anxiety, unstable interpersonal relationships, self-destructive behavior, affective instability. Therapeutic interventions include crisis intervention, supportive psychotherapy, systematic psychotherapy, work with the family, and pharmacotherapy. The goal of therapy during hospitalization is mainly to alleviate emotional fluctuations and self-destructive behavior (self-harm, suicidal behavior), stabilize the family environment and motivate for further outpatient pedopsychiatric and psychotherapeutic care.

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