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Review
. 2013;35 Suppl 1(0 1):S32-9.
doi: 10.1590/1516-4446-2013-S107.

Irritability in children and adolescents: past concepts, current debates, and future opportunities

Fernanda Valle Krieger  1 , Ellen Leibenluft, Argyris Stringaris, Guilherme V Polanczyk
Affiliations
Review

Irritability in children and adolescents: past concepts, current debates, and future opportunities

Fernanda Valle Krieger et al. Braz J Psychiatry. 2013.

Abstract

Irritability is defined as a low threshold to experience anger in response to frustration. It is one of the most common symptoms in youth and is part of the clinical presentation of several disorders. Irritability can present early in life and is a predictor of long-term psychopathology; yet, the diagnostic status of irritability is a matter of intense debate. In the present article, we address two main components of the debate regarding irritability in youth: the misdiagnosis of chronic irritability as pediatric bipolar disorder, and the proposal of a new diagnosis in the DSM-5, disruptive mood dysregulation disorder, whose defining symptoms are chronic irritability and temper outbursts.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Assessment of irritability in children and adolescents
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