title: Irritability in children and adolescents: past concepts, current debates, and future opportunities.
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.
authors.affiliation: Universidade de São Paulo, Department of Psychiatry, São PauloSP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Fernanda Valle
authors.initials: FV
authors.lastname: Krieger
authors.forename: Ellen
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Leibenluft
authors.forename: Argyris
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Stringaris
authors.forename: Guilherme V
authors.initials: GV
authors.lastname: Polanczyk
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000786:Anger; D019958:Attention Deficit and Disruptive Behavior Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy; D001714:Bipolar Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy; D002648:Child; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D006801:Humans; D007508:Irritable Mood / Q000187:drug effects; D019964:Mood Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales