Parental diagnoses in youth with narrow phenotype bipolar disorder or severe mood dysregulation.
OBJECTIVE
Controversy exists regarding whether nonepisodic irritability and hyperarousal (severe mood dysregulation) is a phenotype of pediatric bipolar disorder. The authors compared axis I diagnoses in parents of children with narrow phenotype bipolar disorder and parents of youth with severe mood dysregulation.


METHODS
Parents of youth with narrow phenotype bipolar disorder (proband N=33, parent N=42) and youth with severe mood dysregulation (proband N=30, parent N=37) were interviewed by clinicians who were blind to the child's diagnostic status using the Diagnostic Interview for Genetic Studies.


RESULTS
Compared to parents of youth with severe mood dysregulation, parents of youth with narrow phenotype bipolar disorder were significantly more likely to be diagnosed with bipolar disorder. There were no other diagnostic differences between the two groups.


CONCLUSIONS
These data suggest that narrow phenotype bipolar disorder may be distinct from severe mood dysregulation in terms of familial aggregation. Additionally, the familiality of narrow phenotype bipolar disorder and adult DSM-IV bipolar disorder is high.
Emotion and Development Branch and the Genetic Basis of Mood and Anxiety Disorders Unit, Mood and Anxiety Disorders Program, NIMH, NIH, Department of Health and Human Services, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA. brotmanm@mail.nih.gov
Melissa A
MA
Brotman
Layla
L
Kassem
Michelle M
MM
Reising
Amanda E
AE
Guyer
Daniel P
DP
Dickstein
Brendan A
BA
Rich
Kenneth E
KE
Towbin
Daniel S
DS
Pine
Francis J
FJ
McMahon
Ellen
E
Leibenluft
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D019958:Attention Deficit and Disruptive Behavior Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics; D001714:Bipolar Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics; D002648:Child; D016241:Child of Impaired Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D019964:Mood Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics; D010641:Phenotype; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012720:Severity of Illness Index