Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2009 Apr;18(2):353-90, viii-ix.
doi: 10.1016/j.chc.2008.12.002.

The assessment of children and adolescents with bipolar disorder

Eric A Youngstrom  1 , Andrew J Freeman, Melissa McKeown Jenkins
Affiliations
Review

The assessment of children and adolescents with bipolar disorder

Eric A Youngstrom et al. Child Adolesc Psychiatr Clin N Am. 2009 Apr.

Abstract

The overarching goal of this article is to examine the current best evidence for assessing bipolar disorder (BPD) in children and adolescents and provide a comprehensive, evidence-based approach to diagnosis. Evidence- based assessment strategies are organized around the "3 Ps" of clinical assessment: Predict important criteria or developmental trajectories, Prescribe a change in treatment choice, and inform Process of treating the youth and his/her family. The review characterizes BPD in youths-specifically addressing bipolar diagnoses and clinical subtypes; it then provides an actuarial approach to assessment using prevalence of disorder, risk factors, and questionnaires; discusses treatment thresholds; and identifies practical measures of process and outcomes. The clinical tools and risk factors selected for inclusion in this review represent the best empirical evidence in the literature. By the end of the article, clinicians will have a framework and set of clinically useful tools with which to effectively make evidence-based decisions regarding the diagnosis of BPD in children and adolescents.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Nomogram for combining probability with likelihood ratios.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Flow chart for assessment and treatment thresholds
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Blader JC, Carlson GA. Increased rates of bipolar disorder diagnoses among U.S. child, adolescent, and adult inpatients, 1996-2004. Biological Psychiatry. 2007;62:107–114. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Moreno C, Laje G, Blanco C, et al. National Trends in the Outpatient Diagnosis and Treatment of Bipolar Disorder in Youth. Archives of General Psychiatry. 2007;64:1032–1039. - PubMed
    1. Healy D. The latest mania: selling bipolar disorder. PLoS Medicine. 2006;3:e185. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Klein RG, Pine DS, Klein DF. Resolved: Mania is mistaken for ADHD in prepubertal children. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. 1998;37:1093–1096. - PubMed
    1. Faraone SV, Glatt SJ, Tsuang MT. The genetics of pediatric-onset bipolar disorder. Biological Psychiatry. 2003;53:970–977. - PubMed

Publication types