Psychiatric and addictive profile of minors in the Trans-Baikal territory left without parental care

Background. Preservation of the mental health of the child and adolescent population of the Russian Federation in connection with the tendency to an increase in the prevalence of mental disorders and addictive behavior is a priority task of modern psychiatry. Pathological forms of behavior are considered a deterministic predictor of the use of psychoactive substances by minors. Domestic and foreign authors emphasize the need for a comprehensive study of the mental health of orphans. Objective: to establish the frequency of occurrence and clinical and nosological structure of mental and addictive disorders in children and adolescents of the Trans-Baikal Territory left without parental care. Results. This study presents the results of a continuous clinical and epidemiological examination of 516 minors in the Trans-Baikal Territory who were left without parental care. The overwhelming majority of children in orphanages are social orphans (96.7%) and have a history of alcoholism of their parents (86.6%). A high frequency (69.4%) of the occurrence of mental pathology in orphans is revealed, mainly due to mild cognitive disorders (F06.7), behavioral disorders (F91-F92) and psychological developmental disorders (F83). Substance use disorders in children in orphanages are comorbid with mental disorders and occur in 21.3% of cases, in the structure of which alcohol consumption with harmful consequences prevails (F10.1) - 84.5%. It is found that orphans who abuse alcohol (F10.1), in comparison with mentally healthy orphans, are significantly more often characterized by high indices of aggressiveness (44.0%), hostility (64.5%), frequent anti-disciplinary and antisocial actions, as well as the committing the socially dangerous acts (52.7%). In connection with the data obtained, it is of great importance to develop a complex of preventive programs for implementation in the centers of residence of orphans - children and adolescents.