Bipolar disorder in young people: Description, assessment and evidence-based treatment.
OBJECTIVE
The literature on bipolar in children and adolescents was reviewed to provide an update for clinicians.


METHODS
Literature of particular relevance to evidence-based practice was selected for critical review.


RESULTS
An up-to-date overview of clinical features, epidemiology, prognosis, aetiology, assessment and intervention was provided.


CONCLUSIONS
Bipolar disorder in children and adolescence is a relatively common, multifactorially determined and recurring problem which persists into adulthood. Psychometrically robust screening questionnaires and structured interviews facilitate reliable assessment. Multimodal chronic care programmes involving medication (notably lithium) and family-oriented psychotherapy are currently the treatment of choice.
Carr
Alan
A
University College Dublin, Belfield, Ireland. alan.carr@ucd.ie
D000293:Adolescent; D017668:Age of Onset; D000928:Antidepressive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D018692:Antimanic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001714:Bipolar Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000235:genetics / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015897:Comorbidity; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D005191:Family Characteristics; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008016:Life Change Events; D008297:Male; D000297:Psychology, Adolescent; D002666:Psychology, Child; D011613:Psychotherapy; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors
D000928:Antidepressive Agents; D018692:Antimanic Agents