Estimates suggest that anywhere between 4.8 and 5.5 million children in the U.S. live in households where they are exposed to secondhand smoke, putting them at greater risk for multiple health problems. Now, new research suggests that secondhand smoke exposure can increase the odds of developing certain mental and behavioral disorders by 50 percent.

Researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health looked at the data generated by a 2007 national health survey, analyzing the responses of the parents of guardians of more than 55,000 children ages 11 and younger from throughout the U.S. They found that children who were exposed to secondhand smoke were twice as likely to develop so-called neurobehavioral disorders -- including learning disabilities, ADD or ADHD, and conduct or behavior disorders -- than were children who lived in smoke-free homes.

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WASHINGTON – At a few minutes shy of 3 p.m., Michelle Suppers pulled her minivan into the parking lot at a Catholic school in Virginia, where her son, Anthony, attends first grade.

For most of the mothers already lined up, this probably isn’t a big deal. But for Suppers, who has always been late to just about everything for as long as she can remember, the effort that was required to plan her day, watch the clock and make it to the school on time is nothing short of Herculean.  » More

Conditions such as depression, bipolar disorder and ADHD are common in the young, but how do parents know when their child is at risk?
By Carol Yeh-Garner, Ray Pearson, Genevieve Suzuki, Jennifer Zeglen, and Edie Sanchez

Would you know if your child was sick? You’d likely notice a runny nose or fever, but what about a change in emotional state or a concentration problem?

According to Mental Health America, mental health issues affect one in five young people at any given time, and an estimated two-thirds of all young people are not getting the help they need.  » More