Depressive episodes of bipolar disorder in early teenage years: changes with increasing age and the significance of IQ.
BACKGROUND
Depressive (or depression-like) episodes are the most common manifestations of bipolar affective disorder in early teenage years. The present paper analyses the clinical features and their changes over time in these episodes.


METHODS
By a prospective study on children who had their first affective or psychotic episodes between the ages of ten and fifteen, those who eventually met the ICD 10 diagnostic criteria for bipolar disorder were selected and followed up.


RESULTS
There were three boys and nine girls. Their early depressive episodes were characterised by psychotic features and clinging to the mother in most cases, and in some by brief episodes and/or a good response to sulpiride. However, these characteristics tended to disappear with increasing age. Five children (42%) had an IQ of 61-75.


CONCLUSIONS
Generalisability of the results is limited because of the small number of patients and the lack of control groups.


CONCLUSIONS
Bipolar disorder in early teenage years may show clinical features and a drug response that are different from those in adulthood. Low IQ may expedite the onset of bipolar disorder.
Shiratsuchi
T
T
Department of Psychiatry, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Kitakyushu, Japan.
Takahashi
N
N
Suzuki
T
T
Abe
K
K
D000293:Adolescent; D001714:Bipolar Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000235:genetics / Q000523:psychology; D002648:Child; D003863:Depression / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000235:genetics / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007360:Intelligence / Q000235:genetics; D008297:Male; D010553:Personality Development; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors