Children with deficits in attention, motor control and perception (DAMP) almost grown up: psychiatric and personality disorders at age 16 years.

Fifty-six cases with childhood onset deficits in attention, motor control and perception (DAMP) were followed-up at age 16 years and compared with 45 children without DAMP. Both groups had originally been recruited from the general population at the age of 6 years. Psychiatric disorders (affective disorders in particular) were more common in the DAMP group. Personality disorders were common in both groups, but the DAMP group much more often had a combination of several different personality disorders. The reasons for the discrepancies between teenagers with and without a prior history of DAMP are discussed.