Differences of clinical characteristics and phenotypes between prepubertal- and adolescent-onset bipolar disorders.
The aim of this study is to describe the clinical characteristics of prepubertal- and adolescent-onset bipolar disorder (BD) and to identify any clinical differences between patients with prepubertal- and adolescent-onset BD. We analyzed the clinical records of 53 inpatients with BD. These patients were divided into prepubertal-onset and adolescent-onset groups. We also divided the subjects into narrow, intermediate, and broad phenotypes according to the definitions proposed by Leibenluft and colleagues. Of the total sample, 16 patients (30.2%) were in the prepubertal-onset group and 37 (69.8%) were in the adolescent-onset group. Patients with prepubertal-onset BD were more likely to display an insidious clinical presentation, atypical features, and comorbid psychopathology. And the majority of the subjects, especially in the prepubertal-onset group, were classified under the intermediate and broad phenotypes. These results suggest that the clinical presentation of BD with prepubertal-onset is different from that of adolescent-onset BD. It is inferred that a significant number of patients with prepubertal- and adolescent-onset BD do not meet DSM-IV criteria for mania or hypomania from the results of this study.
Department of Psychiatry, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Misun
M
Song
Huh
H
Yoon
Inchul
I
Choi
Sungdo David
SD
Hong
Yoo Sook
YS
Joung
D000293:Adolescent; D017668:Age of Onset; D000928:Antidepressive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D018692:Antimanic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D014150:Antipsychotic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001714:Bipolar Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy; D002648:Child; D015897:Comorbidity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010619:Phenazines / Q000627:therapeutic use; D010641:Phenotype; D012189:Retrospective Studies
D000928:Antidepressive Agents; D018692:Antimanic Agents; D014150:Antipsychotic Agents; D010619:Phenazines; C041626:5,10-dihydro-5-methylphenazine