title: Irritability in Pediatric Patients: Normal or Not?
abstract: The goal of this article is to describe the concept of irritability in children and youth, which has been revisited in the DSM-5. Traditionally, this behavior has been more commonly associated with mood disorders, which may account for the rising incidence of bipolar disorder diagnosis and overuse of mood-stabilizing medications in pediatric patients. While not predictive of mania, persistent nonepisodic irritability, if undetected, may escalate to violent behavior with potentially serious outcomes. It is therefore important to educate clinicians about how to accurately assess irritability in pediatric patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Pennsylvania State University, Hershey.
authors.forename: Usman
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Hameed
authors.affiliation: Department of Humanities, Pennsylvania State University, Hershey.
authors.forename: Cheryl A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Dellasega
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D006801:Humans; D007508:Irritable Mood; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology*; D010372:Pediatrics / Q000379:methods; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales