Certain types of tantrums in preschoolers may be a sign of serious emotional or behavioral problems, according to researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. Although temper tantrums are common and normal in young children, the researchers found that long, frequent, violent and/or self-destructive tantrums may indicate the presence of psychiatric illness.

The research team reports its findings in the January print issue of The Journal of Pediatrics currently available online. Researchers compared tantrums in healthy children to the tantrums in children diagnosed with depression or disruptive disorders, such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Most children have temper tantrums at some point, but the researchers found healthy children tend to be less aggressive and generally have shorter tantrums than their peers with depression and disruptive disorders.

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