Abstract
The burden of genetic disorders associated with physical disabilities and psychiatric disorders is connected to increasing healthcare expenses and demands on the patients and their caregivers. Psychiatric comorbidities such as anxiety and mood disorders affect a large number of children and adolescents with genetic disorders, leading to poor quality of life and impaired psychological adjustment. Research on this population is scarce compared with studies on the comorbidity of psychiatric problems with physical illnesses (e.g., endocrine disorders and neurological problems). The aim of this review is to focus on the most prevalent genetic disorders that cause physical disability and are most commonly associated with psychiatric disorders in children and adolescents. These include Duchenne muscular dystrophy, neurofibromatosis, myotonic dystrophy, hemophilia, Turner syndrome, Klinefelter‘s syndrome, tuberous sclerosis complex, fragile X syndrome and velo-cardio-facial syndrome.
Acknowledgment
The authors would like to acknowledge the contributions of Aida Farha, Medical Information Specialist, Saab Medical Library, American University of Beirut.
Financial & competing interests disclosure
Fadi T Maalouf is on the speaker bureau of Eli Lilly and has participated in a meeting sponsored by Hikma pharmaceuticals. He receives research funding from the American Foundation of Suicide Prevention. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.
No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.