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Management of Emotion Dysregulation and Outbursts in Children and Adolescents

  • Child and Adolescent Disorders (TD Benton, Section Editor)
  • Published:
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Abstract

Purpose of Review

Emotion dysregulation and outbursts are very common reasons for referral to child and adolescent mental health services and a frequent cause of admission to hospitals and residential programs. Symptoms of emotion dysregulation and outburst are transdiagnostic, associated with many disorders, have the potential to cause severe impairment and their management presents a major challenge in clinical practice.

Recent Findings

There are an increasing number of psychosocial interventions that demonstrate promise in improving emotion dysregulation and outbursts. Acute care systems to manage the most severely ill patients have limited best practice guidelines but program advancements indicate opportunities to improve care models. Pharmacotherapy may be of assistance to psychosocial interventions but must be used with caution due to potential adverse effects.

Summary

Much remains to be discovered however evidence informed, targeted treatments for specific populations show potential for future improvements in outcomes.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, University of Cincinnati, 3333 Burnet Avenue, Cincinnati, OH, 45229, USA

    Michael Sorter, Martine Lamy & Drew Barzman

  2. Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, USA

    Jaclyn Chua

  3. Xavier University, Cincinnati, USA

    Louis Ryes

  4. University of Kentucky College of Medicine, Lexington, USA

    Louis Ryes

  5. The Ohio State University, Columbus, USA

    Joshua Abraham Shekhtman

  6. University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, USA

    Michael Sorter, Martine Lamy, Drew Barzman & Joshua Abraham Shekhtman

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Sorter, M., Chua, J., Lamy, M. et al. Management of Emotion Dysregulation and Outbursts in Children and Adolescents. Curr Psychiatry Rep 24, 213–226 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11920-022-01325-4

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