Topics: Bipolar Disorder | Child Psychiatry

Chronically irritable children are not at increased risk to develop manic episodes as they age; instead, they are at increased risk for anxiety and unipolar depression later in life. Moreover, unlike children with bipolar disorder (BD), chronically irritable children do not tend to have unusually strong family histories of BD. Rather, there are both genetic and familial links between chronic irritability and unipolar depression.

Topics: Bipolar Disorder | Child Psychiatry

Disruptive behavioral disorders are the most common preadolescent disorders in child psychiatry and behavioral pediatrics. Dr. Parry discusses the landscape, diagnosis, and treatment of disruptive mood dysregulation disorder (DMDD).

Topics: Bipolar Disorder | Child Psychiatry

Many clinicians are still unclear about how bipolar disorder got to be such a common diagnosis, most specifically in the United States. Dr. Carlson describes a historical perspective on bipolar disorder as a diagnosis in children.

Topics: Antidepressants | Research Updates

Atomoxetine was not originally included in that rogue’s gallery of medications, but since the drug was originally developed as an antidepressant, the FDA later reviewed its safety data. A post-hoc meta-analysis of placebo-controlled trials revealed an increased risk of suicidal thinking, and so atomoxetine was also slapped with a black box warning.

Topics: Autism Spectrum Disorder | Child Psychiatry | Psychopharmacology Tips

Stimulants are fairly effective but tend to cause more side effects in autistic ADHD kids than in children with pure ADHD. Atomoxetine was only equivocally effective in one trial, and the immediate-release version of guanfacine was tested in a small open-label trial, resulting in improvement in about half the subjects.