Methodological issues and controversies in clinical trials with child and adolescent patients with bipolar disorder: report of a consensus conference

Future Directions: The Phenomenology of Irritable Mood and Outbursts: Hang Together or Hang Separately1

Recognition of the importance of irritable mood and outbursts has been increasing over the past several decades. This "Future Directions" aims to develop a set of recommendations for future research emphasizing that irritable mood and outbursts "hang together," but have important distinctions and thus also need to "hang separately." Outbursts that are the outcome of irritable mood may be quite different from outbursts that are the trigger or driving force that make youth and his/her environment miserable. What, then, is the relation between irritable mood and outbursts? As the field currently stands, we not only cannot answer this question, but we may also lack the tools to effectively do so. Here, we will propose recommendations for understanding the phenomenology of irritable mood and outbursts so that more directed and clinically useful assessment tools can be designed. We discuss the transdiagnostic and treatment implications that relate to improvements in measurement. We describe the need to do more than repurpose our current assessment tools, specifically interviews and rating scales, which were designed for different purposes. The future directions of the study and treatment of irritable mood and outbursts will require, among others, using universally accepted nomenclature, supporting the development of tools to measure the characteristics of each irritable mood and outbursts, understanding the effects of question order, informant, development and longitudinal course, and studying the ways in which outbursts and irritable mood respond to treatment.

Linkage of Young Mania Rating Scale to Clinical Global Impression Scale to Enhance Utility in Clinical Practice and Research Trials

INTRODUCTION

The Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS) is the gold standard to assess manic symptoms of bipolar disorder, yet the clinical meaning of scores is unknown. To clinically understand and interpret YMRS scores, we examined linkages between the total and change scores of YMRS with the Clinical Global Impression (CGI) ratings.

METHODS

Individual participant data (N=2,988) from eight randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials were included. Data were collected at baseline and subsequent visits. Spearman's correlation coefficients ρ were computed, and equipercentile linking was implemented.

RESULTS

A YMRS score of 6 points corresponded approximately to 'borderline mentally ill,' 12 points to 'mildly ill,' 20 points to 'moderately ill,' 30 points to 'markedly ill,' 40 points to 'severely ill,' and 52 points to 'among the most extremely ill' patients on the CGI-S. A reduction of CGI-S by one point as well as 'minimally improved' on the CGI-I corresponded approximately to an absolute decrease of 4 to 8 YMRS points or a 21% to 29% reduction of YMRS baseline score whereas a reduction of CGI-S by two points and 'much improved' on the CGI-I corresponded to an absolute decrease of 10 to 15 points or a 42% to 53% reduction of YMRS baseline score.

DISCUSSION

The current study findings offer clinicians meaningful cutoff values to interpret YMRS scores. Moreover, these values contribute to the definition of treatment targets, response, remission, and entry criteria in mania trials.

Pediatric core outcome sets had deficiencies and lacked child and family input: A methodological review

OBJECTIVES

The Core Outcome Set-STAndards for Development (COS-STAD), published in 2017, contains 11 standards (12 criteria) describing minimum design criteria for core outcome set (COS) development. We aimed to identify and appraise all pediatric COS published prior to COS-STAD, and assess methods of child and family involvement in their development.

STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING

This methodological review included documents that described the development of pediatric COS up to and including 2017. Reviewers independently assessed each COS against COS-STAD criteria, and methods of involvement were synthesized.

RESULTS

A total of 56 pediatric COS were identified, meeting a median of five COS-STAD criteria. Nearly all met criteria on COS scope specification for setting, health condition, and population; 41% met criteria for intervention. Standards were more often met for the involvement of researchers/health professionals (64%) than for patients or their representatives (29%). Few met standards for achieving COS consensus (4-23%). Methods of child and family engagement varied and were limited.

CONCLUSION

A large proportion of pediatric COS developed prior to COS-STAD recommendations show gaps in design methodology. Updated and newly developed pediatric COS would benefit from the inclusion of the child and family voice, implementing a priori criteria for COS consensus, and clear reporting.

Core Outcome Sets in Child Health: A Systematic Review

IMPORTANCE

Developing core outcome sets is essential to ensure that results of clinical trials are comparable and useful. A number of core outcome sets in pediatrics have been published, but a comprehensive in-depth understanding of core outcome sets in this field is lacking.

OBJECTIVE

To systematically identify core outcome sets in child health, collate the diseases to which core outcome sets have been applied, describe the methods used for development and stakeholder participation, and evaluate the methodological quality of existing core outcome sets.

EVIDENCE REVIEW

MEDLINE, SCOPUS, Cochrane Library, and CINAHL were searched using relevant search terms, such as clinical trials, core outcome, and children, along with relevant websites, such as Core Outcome Measures in Effectiveness Trials (COMET). Four researchers worked in teams of 2, performed literature screening and data extraction, and evaluated the methodological quality of core outcome sets using the Core Outcome Set-Standards for Development (COS-STAD).

FINDINGS

A total of 77 pediatric core outcome sets were identified, mainly developed by organizations or researchers in Europe, North America, and Australia and mostly from the UK (22 [29%]) and the US (22 [29%]). A total of 77 conditions were addressed; the most frequent International Classification of Diseases, 11th Revision category was diseases of the digestive system (14 [18%]). Most of the outcomes in pediatric core outcome sets were unordered (34 [44%]) or presented in custom classifications (29 [38%]). Core outcome sets used 1 or more of 8 development methods; the most frequent combination of methods was systematic review/literature review/scoping review, together with the Delphi approach and consensus for decision-making (10 [14%]). Among the 6 main types of stakeholders, clinical experts were the most frequently involved (74 [100%]), while industry representatives were rarely involved (4 [5%]). Only 6 core outcome sets (8%) met the 12 criteria of COS-STAD.

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE

Future quality of pediatric core outcome sets should be improved based on the standards proposed by the COMET initiative, while core outcome sets methodology and reporting standards should be extended to pediatric populations to help improve the quality of core outcome sets in child health. In addition, the COMET outcome taxonomy should also add items applicable to children.

Beach balls: Assessing frustration tolerance in young children using a computerized task

Frustration tolerance is a skill related to emotional regulation processes and is important insofar as it affects people's social relationships and even health. Low levels of frustration tolerance in children have been associated with a greater number of externalizing symptoms such as aggression or anger. Despite its importance, there are a limited number of tasks that attempt to evaluate this construct objectively. Therefore, the aim of our work was the design of a computerized task, programmed as a videogame in order to assess frustration tolerance in children from 6 to 10 years old. The results obtained showed that the test had a good internal consistency and could be useful as an objective measure of frustration tolerance in children. In line with the literature, our data have shown no influence of gender or laterality of participants during the task and only 7% of the frustration measure could be explained by the influence of participants' age. On the other hand, the performance of the participants during the task has allowed us to classify them into six groups according to their performance, namely Low/High Frustration, Low/High Performance and Low/High Reaction Time. This test would permit to compare participants' performance with their reference group but also with their own results, facilitating the obtention of an objective assessment of frustration tolerance in young children.

Diagnostic Trends and Prescription Patterns in Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder and Bipolar Disorder

OBJECTIVE

Disruptive mood dysregulation disorder (DMDD) was introduced in DSM-5 to distinguish a subset of chronically irritable youth who may be incorrectly diagnosed and/or treated for pediatric bipolar disorder (BPD). This study characterized the rate of new treatment episodes and treated prevalence of BPD and DMDD from a longitudinal electronic health record database and examined the impact of DMDD on prescription trends.

METHOD

A retrospective cohort study using 2008-2018 Optum electronic health record data was conducted. Youth aged 10 to < 18 years with ≥ 183 days of database enrollment before the study cohort entry were included. Annual new treatment episode rates per 1,000 patient-years and treated prevalence (%) were estimated. Prescriptions for medications, concomitant diagnoses, and acute mental health service use for 2016-2018 were evaluated.

RESULTS

There were 7,677 youths with DMDD and 6,480 youths with BPD identified. Mean age (13-15 years) and ethnicity were similar for both groups. A rise in new treatment episode rates (0.87-1.75 per 1,000 patient-years, p < .0001) and treated prevalence (0.08%-0.35%, p < .0001) of DMDD diagnoses (2016-2018) following diagnosis inception was paralleled by decreasing new treatment episode rates (1.22-1.14 per 1,000 patient-years, p < .01) and treated prevalence (0.42%-0.36%, p < .0001) of BPD diagnoses (2015-2018). More youth in the DMDD group were prescribed medications compared with the BPD group (81.9% vs 69.4%), including antipsychotics (58.9% vs 51.0%). Higher proportions of youth with DMDD vs youth with BPD had disruptive behavior disorders (eg, 35.9% vs 20.5% had oppositional defiant disorder), and required inpatient hospitalization related to their mental health disorder (45.0% vs 33.0%).

CONCLUSION

Diagnosis of DMDD has had rapid uptake in clinical practice but is associated with increased antipsychotic and polypharmacy prescriptions and higher rates of comorbidity and inpatient hospitalization in youth with a DMDD diagnosis compared with a BPD diagnosis.

Lower estimated intelligence quotient is associated with suicide attempts in pediatric bipolar disorder

BACKGROUND

Approximately 20% of individual with pediatric bipolar disorder (PBD) have a lifetime history of suicide attempt. Some cognitive measures were associated with a suicide attempt, but no study has assessed the association of this event with the estimated intelligence quotient (IQ) in PBI. In adult Bipolar Disorder no association between IQ and suicidality was found, with different correlations between cognitive measures. There are studies in general population showing a negative correlation and others did not find any association. In Schizophrenia, IQ had a positive correlation with suicide attempt. So, the correlation between IQ and suicidality still controversial.

METHODS

We recruited 63 children and adolescents younger than 18 years of age with PBD based on DSM-IV criteria from an outpatient clinic in Brazil. Manic and depressive symptoms were assessed with the YMRS and CDRS, respectively. Estimated IQ was assessed with the WISC-III. The presence or absense of suicidal attempt, clinical and demographic variables were assessed with the K-SADS-PL-W.

RESULTS

Patients who attempted suicide had lower estimated IQ compared to patients who did not attempt suicide (82.72 ± 18.70 vs. 101.0 ± 14.36; p = 0.009). This finding remained after correction for depressive symptoms and family income (OR = 0.94; 95% CI = 0.89 - 0.99; p = 0.029).

LIMITATIONS

Small sample, reverse causality could not be discarded, we only used two subscales of the WISC-III to estimate intelligence.

CONCLUSION

Estimated IQ and suicide attempts were negative correlated in PBD. Future longitudinal and larger studies may confirm our findings.

Systematic data ingratiation of clinical trial recruitment locations for geographic-based query and visualization

BACKGROUND

Prior studies of clinical trial planning indicate that it is crucial to search and screen recruitment sites before starting to enroll participants. However, currently there is no systematic method developed to support clinical investigators to search candidate recruitment sites according to their interested clinical trial factors.

OBJECTIVE

In this study, we aim at developing a new approach to integrating the location data of over one million heterogeneous recruitment sites that are stored in clinical trial documents. The integrated recruitment location data can be searched and visualized using a map-based information retrieval method. The method enables systematic search and analysis of recruitment sites across a large amount of clinical trials.

METHODS

The location data of more than 1.4 million recruitment sites of over 183,000 clinical trials was normalized and integrated using a geocoding method. The integrated data can be used to support geographic information retrieval of recruitment sites. Additionally, the information of over 6000 clinical trial target disease conditions and close to 4000 interventions was also integrated into the system and linked to the recruitment locations. Such data integration enabled the construction of a novel map-based query system. The system will allow clinical investigators to search and visualize candidate recruitment sites for clinical trials based on target conditions and interventions.

RESULTS

The evaluation results showed that the coverage of the geographic location mapping for the 1.4 million recruitment sites was 99.8%. The evaluation of 200 randomly retrieved recruitment sites showed that the correctness of geographic information mapping was 96.5%. The recruitment intensities of the top 30 countries were also retrieved and analyzed. The data analysis results indicated that the recruitment intensity varied significantly across different countries and geographic areas.

CONCLUSION

This study contributed a new data processing framework to extract and integrate the location data of heterogeneous recruitment sites from clinical trial documents. The developed system can support effective retrieval and analysis of potential recruitment sites using target clinical trial factors.

A review of patient and carer participation and the use of qualitative research in the development of core outcome sets

Background

To be meaningful, a core outcome set (COS) should be relevant to all stakeholders including patients and carers. This review aimed to explore the methods by which patients and carers have been included as participants in COS development exercises and, in particular, the use and reporting of qualitative methods.

Methods

In August 2015, a search of the Core Outcomes Measures in Effectiveness Trials (COMET) database was undertaken to identify papers involving patients and carers in COS development. Data were extracted to identify the data collection methods used in COS development, the number of health professionals, patients and carers participating in these, and the reported details of qualitative research undertaken.

Results

Fifty-nine papers reporting patient and carer participation were included in the review, ten of which reported using qualitative methods. Although patients and carers participated in outcome elicitation for inclusion in COS processes, health professionals tended to dominate the prioritisation exercises. Of the ten qualitative papers, only three were reported as a clear pre-designed part of a COS process. Qualitative data were collected using interviews, focus groups or a combination of these. None of the qualitative papers reported an underpinning methodological framework and details regarding data saturation, reflexivity and resource use associated with data collection were often poorly reported. Five papers reported difficulty in achieving a diverse sample of participants and two reported that a large and varied range of outcomes were often identified by participants making subsequent rating and ranking difficult.

Conclusions

Consideration of the best way to include patients and carers throughout the COS development process is needed. Additionally, further work is required to assess the potential role of qualitative methods in COS, to explore the knowledge produced by different qualitative data collection methods, and to evaluate the time and resources required to incorporate qualitative methods into COS development.

Recommendations and evidence for reporting items in pediatric clinical trial protocols and reports: two systematic reviews

BACKGROUND

Complete and transparent reporting of clinical trial protocols and reports ensures that these documents are useful to all stakeholders, that bias is minimized, and that the research is not wasted. However, current studies repeatedly conclude that pediatric trial protocols and reports are not appropriately reported. Guidelines like SPIRIT (Standard Protocol Items: Recommendations for Interventional Trials) and CONSORT (Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials) may improve reporting, but do not offer guidance on issues unique to pediatric trials. This paper reports two systematic reviews conducted to build the evidence base for the development of pediatric reporting guideline extensions: 1) SPIRIT-Children (SPIRIT-C) for pediatric trial protocols, and 2) CONSORT-Children (CONSORT-C) for pediatric trial reports.

METHOD

MEDLINE, the Cochrane Methodology Register, and reference lists of included studies were searched. Publications of any type were eligible if they included explicit recommendations or empirical evidence for the reporting of potential items in a pediatric protocol (SPIRIT-C systematic review) or trial report (CONSORT-C systematic review). Study characteristics, recommendations and evidence for pediatric extension items were extracted. Recurrent themes in the recommendations and evidence were identified and synthesized. All steps were conducted by two reviewers.

RESULTS

For the SPIRIT-C and CONSORT-C systematic reviews 366 and 429 publications were included, respectively. Recommendations were identified for 48 of 50 original reporting items and sub-items from SPIRIT, 15 of 20 potential SPIRIT-C reporting items, all 37 original CONSORT items and sub-items, and 16 of 22 potential CONSORT-C reporting items. The following overarching themes of evidence to support or refute the utility of reporting items were identified: transparency; reproducibility; interpretability; usefulness; internal validity; external validity; reporting bias; publication bias; accountability; scientific soundness; and research ethics.

CONCLUSION

These systematic reviews are the first to systematically gather evidence and recommendations for the reporting of specific items in pediatric protocols and trials. They provide useful and translatable evidence on which to build pediatric extensions to the SPIRIT and CONSORT reporting guidelines. The resulting SPIRIT-C and CONSORT-C will provide guidance to the authors of pediatric protocols and reports, respectively, helping to alleviate concerns of inappropriate and inconsistent reporting, and reduce research waste.

Unfiltered Administration of the YMRS and CDRS-R in a Clinical Sample of Children

The objective of this study is to evaluate discriminative validity of the Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS) and Children's Depression Rating Scale-Revised (CDRS-R) in a clinical sample of children when administered in an unfiltered manner (i.e., regardless of whether symptoms occur in a mood episode). The Kiddie Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia is the gold standard for assessing psychiatric disorders in children and was used to make diagnoses in this study. Using a sample of 707 treatment-seeking youth (ages 6-12 years, Mage = 9.7 years, 67.6% male), receiver operating curve analyses were performed and diagnostic likelihood ratios (DLRs) were calculated to evaluate the ability to change the odds and differentiate bipolar disorder from other disorders (using the YMRS) and depression from other disorders (using the CDRS-R). Using unfiltered administration, the YMRS achieved good discriminative validity when classifying bipolar disorder compared to other disorders (Area Under the Curve [AUC] = .86) and increased odds of a bipolar diagnosis given a score in the highest quintile (DLR = 6.12). Using unfiltered administration, the CDRS-R achieved moderate to good discriminative validity in classifying depressive disorders (DD) compared to other disorders (AUCBD in comparison = .78; AUCBD not in comparison = .84) and slightly increased odds of DD given a score in the highest quintile (DLRBD in comparison = 3.12; DLRBD not in comparison = 5.08). The YMRS and CDRS-R have moderate to good discriminative validity when administered in an unfiltered way in a sample of treatment seeking youth.

Can we decide which outcomes should be measured in every clinical trial? A scoping review of the existing conceptual frameworks and processes to develop core outcome sets

OBJECTIVE

The usefulness of randomized control trials to advance clinical care depends upon the outcomes reported, but disagreement on the choice of outcome measures has resulted in inconsistency and the potential for reporting bias. One solution to this problem is the development of a core outcome set: a minimum set of outcome measures deemed critical for clinical decision making. Within rheumatology the Outcome Measures in Rheumatology (OMERACT) initiative has pioneered the development of core outcome sets since 1992. As the number of diseases addressed by OMERACT has increased and its experience in formulating core sets has grown, clarification and update of the conceptual framework and formulation of a more explicit process of area/domain core set development has become necessary. As part of the update process of the OMERACT Filter criteria to version 2, a literature review was undertaken to compare and contrast the OMERACT conceptual framework with others within and outside rheumatology.

METHODS

A scoping search was undertaken to examine the extent, range, and nature of conceptual frameworks for core set outcome selection in health. We searched the following resources: Cochrane Library Methods Group Register; Medline; Embase; PsycInfo; Environmental Studies and Policy Collection; and ABI/INFORM Global. We also conducted a targeted Google search.

RESULTS

Five conceptual frameworks were identified: the WHO tripartite definition of health; the 5 Ds (discomfort, disability, drug toxicity, dollar cost, and death); the International Classification of Functioning (ICF); PROMIS (Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement System); and the Outcomes Hierarchy. Of these, only the 5 Ds and ICF frameworks have been systematically applied in core set development. Outside the area of rheumatology, several core sets were identified; these had been developed through a limited range of consensus-based methods with varying degrees of methodological rigor. None applied a framework to ensure content validity of the end product.

CONCLUSION

This scoping review reinforced the need for clear methods and standards for core set development. Based on these findings, OMERACT will make its own conceptual framework and working process more explicit. Proposals for how to achieve this were discussed at the OMERACT 11 conference.

Comparative effectiveness of monotherapy with mood stabilizers versus second generation (atypical) antipsychotics for the treatment of bipolar disorder in children and adolescents

OBJECTIVE

This study compared the effectiveness and safety of second generation (atypical) antipsychotic (SGA) versus traditional mood stabilizers (MS) in children and adolescents with bipolar disorder.

METHODS

The study was a retrospective cohort study on 5 years (2003-2007) of Medicaid claims data from four geographically diversified states. Children and adolescents aged 6-18 years who initiated a new treatment episode for bipolar disorder on either an SGA or an MS were followed for 12 months to compare the effectiveness and safety between the two therapeutic categories for pediatric bipolar disorder (PBD). The outcome measures were psychiatric hospital admission, all cause medication discontinuation and treatment augmentation. Potential selection bias caused by unobserved confounding was addressed with instrumental variable methods, using physician prescribing preference and year of cohort entry as the instruments. Sensitivity analysis was conducted to test the robustness of findings against the uncertainties on PBD diagnosis.

RESULTS

Of the 7423 bipolar children and adolescents identified, 66.60% started treatment on SGA, whereas 33.40% initiated on MS. Patients who initiated on MS and SGA had comparable risk of psychiatric hospital admission (HR=1.172, 95%CI: 0.827-1.660). However, as compared with those who initiated on MS, patients who initiated on SGA were less likely to discontinue the treatment (HR=0.634, 95%CI: 0.419-0.961) and less likely to receive treatment augmentation (HR=0.223, 95%CI: 0.103-0.484).

CONCLUSION

As compared with MS monotherapy, SGA monotherapy could be a more effective and safer treatment option for PBD.

Applications of consensus methods in the improvement of care of paediatric patients: a step forward from a 'good guess'

Efforts to improve the safety and quantification of iatrogenic harm in children are necessary in paediatric practice and health care. Consensus methods are a systematic means to resolve inconsistencies in scientific information. The items to be assessed are scored and/or ranked and consensus is sought in successive rounds. The aim here is to review features of the Delphi process and the nominal group technique and their use in paediatric patients.

CONCLUSION

The Delphi process and the nominal group technique are also applicable in paediatric age groups. They offer a useful choice in the selection of safety and quality improvement measures and tools.

Differential diagnosis of bipolar disorder in children and adolescents

Issues complicating the differential diagnosis of bipolar disorder in young people are discussed. They include: a) the subtype of bipolar disorder being considered; b) the person's age and stage of development; c) whether one views bipolar disorder more conservatively, requiring clear episodes that mark a distinct change from premorbid levels of function, or more liberally, focusing for instance on severe irritability/explosive outbursts as the mood change; d) who is reporting manic symptoms, and whether symptoms are past and must be recalled or current and more likely to be observed; e) impact of family history. The diagnosis of mania/bipolar I disorder may not become clear for a number of years. This is an impairing disorder, but so are the conditions from which it must be distinguished. Family history may increase the odds that certain symptoms/behaviors are manifestations of bipolar disorder but it does not make the diagnosis. Until there are biomarkers that can confirm the diagnosis, and treatments unique to the condition, it is wise to make a diagnosis of bipolar disorder in children and adolescents provisionally and keep an open mind to the likelihood that revisions may be necessary.

Treatment use and costs among privately insured youths with diagnoses of bipolar disorder

OBJECTIVE

Recent evidence suggests that children are increasingly diagnosed as having bipolar disorder, yet no studies have quantified treatment costs for pediatric patients. The objectives of the study were to identify one-year health services utilization and treatment costs among youths newly diagnosed as having bipolar disorder.

METHODS

MarketScan administrative claims from 2005 to 2007 were used to construct a retrospective person-level cohort of children ages zero to 17 to identify one-year health services utilization and costs among privately insured youths with a bipolar diagnosis. Inpatient and outpatient services were categorized as mental health related or non–mental health related. Pharmacy costs were classified as psychotropic or nonpsychotropic.

RESULTS

In the sample (4,973 youths), one-year mean reimbursements for health services were $10,372, and patient out-of-pocket spending was $1,429 per child. Mental health services accounted for 71% of all health care spending, with psychotropic medications and inpatient care contributing the largest proportions of total spending (24% and 27%, respectively) .

CONCLUSIONS

The costs of care among privately insured children with bipolar disorder are similar to those of adults. However, spending on children is concentrated on mental health–related services. Because private insurance plans have historically limited mental health service benefits, the concentration of spending on mental health services may place a greater burden on families for out-of-pocket payments. As mental health parity is adopted by private insurers, monitoring its impact on patient utilization and costs of health services will be important, particularly for children with serious mental illness.

Portability of a screener for pediatric bipolar disorder to a diverse setting

Robust screening measures that perform well in different populations could help improve the accuracy of diagnosis of pediatric bipolar disorder. Changes in sampling could influence the performance of items and potentially influence total scores enough to alter the predictive utility of scores. Additionally, creating a brief version of a measure by extracting items from a longer scale might cause differential functioning due to context effects. The authors of current study examined both sampling and context effects of a brief measure of pediatric mania. Caregivers of 813 youths completed the parent-reported version of the General Behavior Inventory (PGBI) at an academic medical center sample enriched for mood disorders. Caregivers of 481 youths completed the PGBI at a community mental health center. Caregivers of 799 youths completed 10 items extracted from the PGBI at a community setting. Caregivers of 159 youths completed both versions of the PGBI and a semistructured diagnostic interview. Differential item functioning indicated that across samples some items functioned differently; however, total observed scores were similar across all levels of mania. Receiver operating characteristic analysis indicated that the 10 extracted items discriminated bipolar disorder from nonbipolar behavior as well as when the items were embedded within the full measure. Findings suggest that the extracted items perform similarly to the embedded items in the community setting. Measurement properties appear sufficiently robust across settings to support clinical applications.

Is caregiver-adolescent disagreement due to differences in thresholds for reporting manic symptoms?

INTRODUCTION

Cross-informant disagreement is common and results in different interpretations of a youth's behavior. Theoretical explanations for discrepancies typically rely on scale level analyses. This article explores whether caregivers and adolescents differ in when they notice and report symptoms of youth mania depending on the severity of overall manic disturbance.

METHOD

Participants were 459 adolescent-caregiver pairs recruited at either a community mental health center or an academic medical center. Adolescents were most likely to have a primary diagnosis of unipolar depression (37%) or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder/disruptive behavior disorder (36%). Nineteen percent of adolescents received a bipolar spectrum disorder diagnosis (4% bipolar I and 15% bipolar II, cyclothymia, or bipolar not otherwise specificed). Caregivers were primarily biological mothers (74%) or grandparents (8%). Adolescents and caregivers independently completed the Mood Disorder Questionnaire (MDQ) about the adolescent.

RESULTS

Item response theory analyses of the entire sample indicated that in general, both caregivers and adolescents reserved endorsement of mania symptoms for the most severely ill half of participants. Comparisons of caregiver and adolescent report of symptoms on the MDQ indicated two significant differences. Caregivers were more likely to report irritability at significantly lower severity of mania than adolescents. Adolescents endorsed only increased energy or hyperactivity at lower severities than caregivers.

CONCLUSIONS

Adolescents and caregivers will have different concerns and might report different symptoms consistent with whom the symptom impacts first. Caregivers are more likely to report behaviors such as irritability, whereas adolescents are more likely to report subjective feelings such as feeling more energetic or more hyperactive.

Different neural pathways to negative affect in youth with pediatric bipolar disorder and severe mood dysregulation

Questions persist regarding the presentation of bipolar disorder (BD) in youth and the nosological significance of irritability. Of particular interest is whether severe mood dysregulation (SMD), characterized by severe non-episodic irritability, hyper-arousal, and hyper-reactivity to negative emotional stimuli, is a developmental presentation of pediatric BD and, therefore, whether the two conditions are pathophysiologically similar. We administered the affective Posner paradigm, an attentional task with a condition involving blocked goal attainment via rigged feedback. The sample included 60 youth (20 BD, 20 SMD, and 20 controls) ages 8-17. Magnetoencephalography (MEG) examined neuronal activity (4-50 Hz) following negative versus positive feedback. We also examined reaction time (RT), response accuracy, and self-reported affect. Both BD and SMD youth reported being less happy than controls during the rigged condition. Also, SMD youth reported greater arousal following negative feedback than both BD and controls, and they responded to negative feedback with significantly greater activation of the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and medial frontal gyrus (MFG) than controls. Compared to SMD and controls, BD youth displayed greater superior frontal gyrus (SFG) activation and decreased insula activation following negative feedback. Data suggest a greater negative affective response to blocked goal attainment in SMD versus BD and control youth. This occurs in tandem with hyperactivation of medial frontal regions in SMD youth, while BD youth show dysfunction in the SFG and insula. Data add to a growing empirical base that differentiates pediatric BD and SMD and begin to elucidate potential neural mechanisms of irritability.

An open-label study of aripiprazole in children with a bipolar disorder

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this open-label study was to describe the effectiveness of aripiprazole (APZ) in the treatment of children with bipolar disorders suffering from manic symptomatology.

METHOD

Symptomatic outpatients (Young Mania Rating Scale [YMRS] score ≥15) meeting strict, unmodified, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition, diagnostic symptom criteria for a bipolar disorder, ages 4-9 years, were eligible. Subjects were treated prospectively with flexible doses of APZ (maximum daily dose of 15 mg/day), for up to 16 weeks or until a priori response criteria were met. Outcome measures included the YMRS, Clinical Global Impressions Scale-Severity, Children's Global Assessment Scale (CGAS), and the Children's Depression Rating Scale-Revised (CDRS-R). A priori response criteria consisted of 3 of 4 consecutive weeks with (1) CDRS-R <29; (2) YMRS <10; and (3) CGAS >50.

RESULTS

Ninety-six children (62 males; mean age of 6.9 (SD = 1.7), received APZ for an average length of treatment of 12.5 (SD = 3.9) weeks. Significant improvements in YMRS, CDRS-R, CGAS, and Clinical Global Impressions Scale-Severity scores (p < 0.001) were noted at the end of study participation. Sixty of the subjects (62.5%) met a priori response criteria at study's end. The most common side effects noted were stomachache, increased appetite, and headache. Two subjects were removed from the study due to side effects [epistaxis (n = 1); akathisia (n = 1)]. Subjects experienced an average weight gain of 2.4 (SD = 1.9) kg.

CONCLUSION

APZ may be effective in the acute treatment of symptoms of children with bipolar illnesses.

Childhood CBCL bipolar profile and adolescent/young adult personality disorders: a 9-year follow-up

BACKGROUND

To assess the late adolescent psychiatric outcomes associated with a positive Child Behavior Checklist-Juvenile Bipolar Disorder Phenotype (CBCL-JBD) in children diagnosed with ADHD and followed over a 9-year period.

METHODS

Parents of 152 children diagnosed as ADHD (ages 7-11 years) completed the CBCL. Ninety of these parents completed it again 9 years later as part of a comprehensive evaluation of Axis I and II diagnoses as assessed using semi-structured interviews. As previously proposed, the CBCL-JBD phenotype was defined as T-scores of 70 or greater on the Attention Problems, Aggression, and Anxiety/Depression subscales.

RESULTS

The CBCL-JBD phenotype was found in 31% of those followed but only 4.9% of the sample continued to meet the phenotype criteria at follow-up. Only two of the sample developed Bipolar Disorder by late adolescence and only one of those had the CBCL-JBD profile in childhood. The proxy did not predict any Axis I disorders. However, the CBCL-JBD proxy was highly predictive of later personality disorders.

LIMITATIONS

Only a subgroup of the original childhood sample was followed. Given this sample was confined to children with ADHD, it is not known whether the prediction of personality disorders from CBCL scores would generalize to a wider community or clinical population.

CONCLUSIONS

A positive CBCL-JBD phenotype profile in childhood does not predict Axis I Disorders in late adolescence; however, it may be prognostic of the emergence of personality disorders.

Database analysis of children and adolescents with bipolar disorder consuming a micronutrient formula

BACKGROUND

Eleven previous reports have shown potential benefit of a 36-ingredient micronutrient formula (known as EMPowerplus) for the treatment of psychiatric symptoms. The current study asked whether children (7-18 years) with pediatric bipolar disorder (PBD) benefited from this same micronutrient formula; the impact of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) on their response was also evaluated.

METHODS

Data were available from an existing database for 120 children whose parents reported a diagnosis of PBD; 79% were taking psychiatric medications that are used to treat mood disorders; 24% were also reported as ADHD. Using Last Observation Carried Forward (LOCF), data were analyzed from 3 to 6 months of micronutrient use.

RESULTS

At LOCF, mean symptom severity of bipolar symptoms was 46% lower than baseline (effect size (ES) = 0.78) (p < 0.001). In terms of responder status, 46% experienced >50% improvement at LOCF, with 38% still taking psychiatric medication (52% drop from baseline) but at much lower levels (74% reduction in number of medications being used from baseline). The results were similar for those with both ADHD and PBD: a 43% decline in PBD symptoms (ES = 0.72) and 40% in ADHD symptoms (ES = 0.62). An alternative sample of children with just ADHD symptoms (n = 41) showed a 47% reduction in symptoms from baseline to LOCF (ES = 1.04). The duration of reductions in symptom severity suggests that benefits were not attributable to placebo/expectancy effects. Similar findings were found for younger and older children and for both sexes.

CONCLUSIONS

The data are limited by the open label nature of the study, the lack of a control group, and the inherent self-selection bias. While these data cannot establish efficacy, the results are consistent with a growing body of research suggesting that micronutrients appear to have therapeutic benefit for children with PBD with or without ADHD in the absence of significant side effects and may allow for a reduction in psychiatric medications while improving symptoms. The consistent reporting of positive changes across multiple sites and countries are substantial enough to warrant a call for randomized clinical trials using micronutrients.

A preliminary study of the neural mechanisms of frustration in pediatric bipolar disorder using magnetoencephalography

BACKGROUND

Irritability is prevalent and impairing in pediatric bipolar disorder (BD) but has been minimally studied using neuroimaging techniques. We used magnetoencephalography (MEG) to study theta band oscillations in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) during frustration in BD youth. ACC theta power is associated with attention to emotional stimuli, and the ACC may mediate responses to frustrating stimuli.

METHODS

We used the affective Posner task, an attention paradigm that uses rigged feedback to induce frustration, to compare 20 medicated BD youth (14.9+/-2.0 years; 45% male) and 20 healthy controls (14.7+/-1.7 years; 45% male). MEG measured neuronal activity after negative and positive feedback; we also compared groups on reaction time, response accuracy, and self-reported affect. Patients met strict DSM-IV BD criteria and were euthymic. Controls had no psychiatric history.

RESULTS

BD youth reported more negative affective responses than controls. After negative feedback, BD subjects, relative to controls, displayed greater theta power in the right ACC and bilateral parietal lobe. After positive feedback, BD subjects displayed lower theta power in the left ACC than did controls. Correlations between MEG, behavior, and affect were nonsignificant.

CONCLUSION

In this first MEG study of BD youth, BD youth displayed patterns of theta oscillations in the ACC and parietal lobe in response to frustration-inducing negative feedback that differed from healthy controls. These data suggest that BD youth may display heightened processing of negative feedback and exaggerated self-monitoring after frustrating emotional stimuli. Future studies are needed with unmedicated bipolar youth, and comparison ADHD and anxiety groups.

A systematic review of the reporting of Data Monitoring Committees' roles, interim analysis and early termination in pediatric clinical trials

BACKGROUND

Decisions about interim analysis and early stopping of clinical trials, as based on recommendations of Data Monitoring Committees (DMCs), have far reaching consequences for the scientific validity and clinical impact of a trial. Our aim was to evaluate the frequency and quality of the reporting on DMC composition and roles, interim analysis and early termination in pediatric trials.

METHODS

We conducted a systematic review of randomized controlled clinical trials published from 2005 to 2007 in a sample of four general and four pediatric journals. We used full-text databases to identify trials which reported on DMCs, interim analysis or early termination, and included children or adolescents. Information was extracted on general trial characteristics, risk of bias, and a set of parameters regarding DMC composition and roles, interim analysis and early termination.

RESULTS

110 of the 648 pediatric trials in this sample (17%) reported on DMC or interim analysis or early stopping, and were included; 68 from general and 42 from pediatric journals. The presence of DMCs was reported in 89 of the 110 included trials (81%); 62 papers, including 46 of the 89 that reported on DMCs (52%), also presented information about interim analysis. No paper adequately reported all DMC parameters, and nine (15%) reported all interim analysis details. Of 32 trials which terminated early, 22 (69%) did not report predefined stopping guidelines and 15 (47%) did not provide information on statistical monitoring methods.

CONCLUSIONS

Reporting on DMC composition and roles, on interim analysis results and on early termination of pediatric trials is incomplete and heterogeneous. We propose a minimal set of reporting parameters that will allow the reader to assess the validity of trial results.

Symptoms leading to a bipolar diagnosis: a phone survey of child and adolescent psychiatrists

OBJECTIVE

We surveyed child and adolescent psychiatrists (CAPs) to characterize how they diagnose bipolar disorder (BPD) in children.

METHODS

We approached by mail and then telephone 100 CAPs randomly sampled from five regions of the main professional organization of American CAPs; 53 CAPs were reached and agreed to participate. We asked about their training and practice setting, and asked them to name 10 symptoms indicative of BPD. We conducted descriptive analyses to determine how CAPs ranked symptoms, whether reports were consistent with Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition, Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR) criteria, and whether alternative symptom models might guide their decision making.

RESULTS

CAPs considered lability, grandiosity, family history of BPD, aggression, and expansive or euphoric mood as the most important factors in diagnosing BPD. Only 21 (39.6%) CAPs reported sufficient symptoms to meet DSM criteria for BPD (DSM-Yes status). DSM-Yes status was associated with participants' region, less expertise (< or =10 years practicing child and adolescent psychiatry), and lower levels of self-reported confidence in their ability to diagnose BPD.

CONCLUSIONS

CAPs vary in the symptoms they use to diagnose BPD, with most using a mixture of DSM and non-DSM symptoms. Expertise and confidence may lessen one's reliance on DSM criteria. Further studies are needed to understand CAPs' diagnostic decisions about BD and to develop interventions to support accurate diagnostic decision making and improve patient care.

Exploring clinical characteristics of bipolar depression: internal structure of the bipolar depression rating scale

OBJECTIVE

Due to its pleomorphic phenomenology, the clinical features of bipolar depression are difficult to assess. The objective of the present study was therefore to explore the internal structure of the Bipolar Depression Rating Scale (BDRS) in terms of the phenomenological characteristics of bipolar depression.

METHODS

Sixty patients with DSM-IV bipolar depression completed the BDRS, depression and excitement subscales of the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS-D and PANSS-E), 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale, Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS), and the Drug-Induced Extrapyramidal Symptoms Scale. The internal structure of the BDRS was explored through hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) using Ward's method and multidimensional scaling (MDS).

RESULTS

From 20-item BDRS data, the HCA yielded two symptom clusters. The first cluster included 12 items of conventional depressive symptoms. The second cluster included eight items of mixed symptoms. The MDS identified a depressive-mixed dimension. The depressive symptom cluster showed a more cohesive and conglomerate cluster structure on the MDS map compared to the mixed symptom cluster. After controlling for the effects of treatment-emergent extrapyramidal symptoms, strong positive correlations were observed between the BDRS and other depression rating scales, and the BDRS also weakly correlated with the YMRS and the PANSS-E.

CONCLUSIONS

The internal structure of BDRS appears to be sensitive to complex features of bipolar depression. Hence, the BDRS may have an advantage in evaluating clinical changes in patients with bipolar depression within the therapeutic process.

Family and genetic association studies of bipolar disorder in children

The risk of bipolar disorder (BPD) (15-42%) in first-degree relatives of children with BPD are consistently larger than the 8.7% estimate of recurrence risk of BPD in first-degree relatives of adult BPD cases. There have been no family linkage studies of pediatric BPD, but secondary analyses of adult linkage samples suggest that early-onset BPD both increases the strength of associations in linkage studies. Positive associations with pediatric BPD and the BDNF gene (Vall66), the GAD1 gene (4s2241165), and the dopamine transporter gene (rs41084) have been reported but none of these associations have been replicated in independent samples. The number of informative families examined so far is quite small and studies were vastly underpowered to detect small effects. An adequately powered sample will likely require collaborative ascertainment of cases and families from multiple sites using valid and accepted measures of pediatric BPD.

The efficacy and tolerability of methylphenidate and behavior modification in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and severe mood dysregulation

OBJECTIVES

This study examines the tolerability and efficacy of methylphenidate (MPH) and behavior modification therapy (BMOD) in children with attention-deficity/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and severe mood dysregulation (SMD).

METHODS

Children (ages 5-12) from a summer program for ADHD were screened for SMD and additional manic-like symptoms using structured assessments and direct clinical interview with the Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS). The SMD group was comprised of 33 subjects with SMD and elevated YMRS scores (mean = 23.7). They underwent weekly mood assessments plus the daily ADHD measures that are part of the program. The comparison group (n = 68) was comprised of the rest of the program participants. Using a crossover design, all subjects in both groups were treated with three varying intensities of BMOD (no, low, high) each lasting 3 weeks, with MPH dose (placebo, 0.15 mg/kg t.i.d., 0.3mg/kg t.i.d., and 0.6 mg/kg t.i.d.) varying daily within each behavioral treatment.

RESULTS

Groups had comparable ADHD symptoms at baseline, with the SMD group manifesting more oppositional defiant disorder/conduct disorder (ODD/CD) symptoms (p < 0.001). Both groups showed robust improvement in externalizing symptoms (p < 0.001). There was no evidence of differential treatment efficacy or tolerability. Treatment produced a 34% reduction in YMRS ratings in SMD subjects (p - 0.001). However, they still exhibited elevated YMRS ratings, more ODD/CD symptoms (p < 0.001), and were more likely to remain significantly impaired at home than non-SMD subjects (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

MPH and BMOD are tolerable and effective treatments for children with ADHD and SMD, but additional treatments may be needed to optimize their functioning.

The Collaborative Lithium Trials (CoLT): specific aims, methods, and implementation

BACKGROUND

Lithium is a benchmark treatment for bipolar illness in adults. However, there has been relatively little methodologically stringent research regarding the use of lithium in youth suffering from bipolarity.

METHODS

Under the auspices of the Best Pharmaceuticals for Children Act (BPCA), a Written Request (WR) pertaining to the study of lithium in pediatric mania was issued by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) in 2004. Accordingly, the NICHD issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) soliciting submissions to pursue this research. Subsequently, the NICHD awarded a contract to a group of investigators in order to conduct these studies.

RESULTS

The Collaborative Lithium Trials (CoLT) investigators, the BPCA-Coordinating Center, and the NICHD developed protocols to provide data that will: (1) establish evidence-based dosing strategies for lithium; (2) characterize the pharmacokinetics and biodisposition of lithium; (3) examine the acute efficacy of lithium in pediatric bipolarity; (4) investigate the long-term effectiveness of lithium treatment; and (5) characterize the short- and long-term safety of lithium. By undertaking two multi-phase trials rather than multiple single-phase studies (as was described in the WR), the feasibility of the research to be undertaken was enhanced while ensuring all the data outlined in the WR would be obtained. The first study consists of: (1) an 8-week open-label, randomized, escalating dose Pharmacokinetic Phase; (2) a 16-week Long-Term Effectiveness Phase; (3) a 28-week double-blind Discontinuation Phase; and (4) an 8-week open-label Restabilization Phase. The second study consists of: (1) an 8-week, double-blind, parallel-group, placebo-controlled Efficacy Phase; (2) an open-label Long-Term Effectiveness lasting either 16 or 24 weeks (depending upon blinded treatment assignment during the Efficacy Phase); (3) a 28-week double-blind Discontinuation Phase; and (4) an 8-week open-label Restabilization Phase. In December of 2006, enrollment into the first of these studies began across seven sites.

CONCLUSION

These innovative studies will not only provide data to inform the labeling of lithium in children and adolescents with bipolar disorder, but will also enhance clinical decision-making regarding the use of lithium treatment in pediatric bipolar illness.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

NCT00442039.

Developing a 10-item mania scale from the Parent General Behavior Inventory for children and adolescents

OBJECTIVE

Bipolar disorder is being diagnosed and treated in children and adolescents at a rapidly increasing rate, despite the lack of validated instruments to help screen for the condition or differentiate it from more common disorders. The goal of the present study was to develop and validate a brief (10 item) instrument to assess mania in a large sample of outpatients presenting with a variety of different DSM-IV diagnoses, including frequent comorbid conditions.

METHOD

Parents presenting to a Midwestern academic outpatient medical center for psychiatric evaluation of their child completed the Parent General Behavior Inventory (P-GBI), a 73-item mood inventory that comprises a 46-item depressive symptom scale and a 28-item hypomanic/biphasic scale (1 item is used in both scales), as part of a screening assessment that included a semistructured psychiatric interview of both the parent and the child to determine the child's diagnoses. The study was conducted between the years 1999 and 2004.

RESULTS

Six hundred thirty-seven youths received a diagnostic assessment with either the Epidemiologic or Present and Lifetime Version of the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children. A 10-item form derived from the 73-item P-GBI had good reliability (alpha = .92), correlated (r = 0.95) with the 28-item scale, and showed significantly better discrimination of bipolar disorders (area under the receiving operating characteristic [AUROC] curve of 0.856 vs. 0.832 for the 28-item scale, p < .005), with good precision for estimation of individual scores for cases up to 2 standard deviations elevated on the latent trait. The 10-item scale also did well discriminating bipolar from unipolar (AUROC = 0.86) and bipolar from attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AUROC = 0.82) cases.

CONCLUSIONS

Findings suggest that parents most notice elated mood, high energy, irritability, and rapid changes in mood and energy as the prominent features of juvenile bipolar disorder.

A systematic review of studies that aim to determine which outcomes to measure in clinical trials in children

BACKGROUND

In clinical trials the selection of appropriate outcomes is crucial to the assessment of whether one intervention is better than another. Selection of inappropriate outcomes can compromise the utility of a trial. However, the process of selecting the most suitable outcomes to include can be complex. Our aim was to systematically review studies that address the process of selecting outcomes or outcome domains to measure in clinical trials in children.

METHODS AND FINDINGS

We searched Cochrane databases (no date restrictions) in December 2006; and MEDLINE (1950 to 2006), CINAHL (1982 to 2006), and SCOPUS (1966 to 2006) in January 2007 for studies of the selection of outcomes for use in clinical trials in children. We also asked a group of experts in paediatric clinical research to refer us to any other relevant studies. From these articles we extracted data on the clinical condition of interest, description of the method used to select outcomes, the people involved in the selection process, the outcomes selected, and limitations of the method as defined by the authors. The literature search identified 8,889 potentially relevant abstracts. Of these, 70 were retrieved, and 25 were included in the review. These studies described the work of 13 collaborations representing various paediatric specialties including critical care, gastroenterology, haematology, psychiatry, neurology, respiratory paediatrics, rheumatology, neonatal medicine, and dentistry. Two groups utilised the Delphi technique, one used the nominal group technique, and one used both methods to reach a consensus about which outcomes should be measured in clinical trials. Other groups used semistructured discussion, and one group used a questionnaire-based survey. The collaborations involved clinical experts, research experts, and industry representatives. Three groups involved parents of children affected by the particular condition.

CONCLUSIONS

Very few studies address the appropriate choice of outcomes for clinical research with children, and in most paediatric specialties no research has been undertaken. Among the studies we did assess, very few involved parents or children in selecting outcomes that should be measured, and none directly involved children. Research should be undertaken to identify the best way to involve parents and children in assessing which outcomes should be measured in clinical trials.

Psychotic phenomena in 257 young children and adolescents with bipolar I disorder: delusions and hallucinations (benign and pathological)

OBJECTIVES

In contrast to studies of adult bipolar I disorder (BP-I), there is a paucity of data on psychotic phenomena in child BP-I. Therefore, the aim of this work was to describe delusions and hallucinations in pediatric BP-I.

METHODS

Subjects were 257 participants, aged 6-16, in either of two large, ongoing, NIMH-funded studies, 'Phenomenology and Course of Pediatric Bipolar Disorders' or 'Treatment of Early Age Mania (TEAM)'. All subjects had current DSM-IV BP-I (manic or mixed phase) with a Children's Global Assessment Scale score <or=60 (definite clinical impairment), and all had cardinal mania symptoms (i.e., elation and/or grandiosity). Comprehensive assessments included the Washington University in St. Louis Kiddie Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia (WASH-U-KSADS), which was administered to parents about their children and separately to children about themselves by experienced research clinicians. The WASH-U-KSADS contains modules for developmentally child-age-specific manifestations of numerous categories of psychotic phenomena.

RESULTS

Psychosis was present in 76.3% (n = 196) of subjects, which included 38.9% (n = 100) with delusions, 5.1% (n = 13) with pathological hallucinations, and 32.3% (n = 83) with both. The most common delusion was grandiose (67.7%, n = 174), and the most common pathological hallucination was visual (16.0%, n = 41). Benign hallucinations occurred in 43.6% (n = 112). A median split by age yielded 6-9 year-olds (n = 139) and 10-16 year-olds (n = 118). Analyses of these two groups, and of 6, 7, 8, and 9 year-olds separately, found no significant differences in psychotic phenomena.

CONCLUSIONS

Counterintuitively, psychosis was equally prevalent in 6-9 compared to 10-16 year-olds. High prevalence of psychosis in child BP-I warrants focus in intervention strategies and is consistent with increasing evidence of the severity of child-versus adult-onset BP-I.

Pediatric bipolar disorder: validity, phenomenology, and recommendations for diagnosis

OBJECTIVE

To find, review, and critically evaluate evidence pertaining to the phenomenology of pediatric bipolar disorder and its validity as a diagnosis.

METHODS

The present qualitative review summarizes and synthesizes available evidence about the phenomenology of bipolar disorder (BD) in youths, including description of the diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of symptoms, clarification about rates of cycling and mixed states, and discussion about chronic versus episodic presentations of mood dysregulation. The validity of the diagnosis of BD in youths is also evaluated based on traditional criteria including associated demographic characteristics, family environmental features, genetic bases, longitudinal studies of youths at risk of developing BD as well as youths already manifesting symptoms on the bipolar spectrum, treatment studies and pharmacologic dissection, neurobiological findings (including morphological and functional data), and other related laboratory findings. Additional sections review impairment and quality of life, personality and temperamental correlates, the clinical utility of a bipolar diagnosis in youths, and the dimensional versus categorical distinction as it applies to mood disorder in youths.

RESULTS

A schema for diagnosis of BD in youths is developed, including a review of different operational definitions of 'bipolar not otherwise specified.' Principal areas of disagreement appear to include the relative role of elated versus irritable mood in assessment, and also the limits of the extent of the bipolar spectrum--when do definitions become so broad that they are no longer describing 'bipolar' cases?

CONCLUSIONS

In spite of these areas of disagreement, considerable evidence has amassed supporting the validity of the bipolar diagnosis in children and adolescents.

Prevention of bipolar disorder in at-risk children: theoretical assumptions and empirical foundations

This article examines how bipolar symptoms emerge during development, and the potential role of psychosocial and pharmacological interventions in the prevention of the onset of the disorder. Early signs of bipolarity can be observed among children of bipolar parents and often take the form of subsyndromal presentations (e.g., mood lability, episodic elation or irritability, depression, inattention, and psychosocial impairment). However, many of these early presentations are diagnostically nonspecific. The few studies that have followed at-risk youth into adulthood find developmental discontinuities from childhood to adulthood. Biological markers (e.g., amygdalar volume) may ultimately increase our accuracy in identifying children who later develop bipolar I disorder, but few such markers have been identified. Stress, in the form of childhood adversity or highly conflictual families, is not a diagnostically specific causal agent but does place genetically and biologically vulnerable individuals at risk for a more pernicious course of illness. A preventative family-focused treatment for children with (a) at least one first-degree relative with bipolar disorder and (b) subsyndromal signs of bipolar disorder is described. This model attempts to address the multiple interactions of psychosocial and biological risk factors in the onset and course of bipolar disorder.

Adult bipolar disorder is continuous with pediatric bipolar disorder

Considerable debate exists regarding the continuity of bipolar disorder (BD) in children and adolescents. Do affected children continue to have BD as adults? Are pediatric forms of BD distinct from adult forms of the disorder? Here, I argue that, in fact, strictly defined BD I and II in children and adolescents is continuous with adult BD. First, if we take developmental differences into account, children and adults share similar symptoms, since they are both diagnosed according to DSM-IV criteria. Next, retrospective studies indicate that 50% to 66% of adults with BD had onset of their disorder before age 19 years. Early prospective data indicate that adolescents with BD progress to become young adults with BD. Further, family studies of pediatric BD probands find high rates of BD in adult relatives, and pediatric offspring of parents with BD have elevated rates of BD, compared with control subjects. Finally, biological characteristics of pediatric BD (such as treatment response, neurobiology, and genetics) are either shared with adults having BD or fit logically into developmental models of BD. Thus, while not conclusive, a preponderance of data support the hypothesis that pediatric BD is continuous with adult BD. Prospective studies incorporating phenomenological and biological assessment are needed to decisively address this issue.

Response and remission in adolescent mania: signal detection analyses of the young mania rating scale

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study was to determine optimal criteria for defining response and remission in adolescents with acute mania.

METHOD

Data were analyzed from three treatment studies of adolescents with acute mania (N = 99). Trained raters completed the Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS), and clinicians completed the Clinical Global Impressions Scale for Bipolar Disorder (CGI-BP) independent of YMRS ratings. For response, the percentages of reduction in YMRS scores from baseline to endpoint were compared with CGI-BP Mania Improvement scores. For remission, endpoint YMRS scores were compared with CGI-BP Mania Severity scores. Signal detection analyses were conducted to evaluate the efficiency of selected cutoffs associated with response and remission.

RESULTS

A > or =55% reduction in YMRS scores from baseline to endpoint was the optimal cutoff defining response. An absolute endpoint YMRS score < or =12 was the optimal cutoff defining remission.

CONCLUSIONS

The results of this signal detection analysis in adolescent mania suggest that current commonly used cutoffs to define response (> or =50% reduction) and remission (< or =12) may be appropriate with regard to efficiency. Studies with methods specifically tailored to evaluate and compare these rating scales and larger patient samples from multiple sites are needed to confirm these preliminary findings.

Treatments in child and adolescent bipolar disorders

The existence of bipolar disorder in adolescents is now clearly established. However, whether bipolarity exists in children is more controversial. We reviewed the literature on acute and prophylactic treatment of bipolar disorder in youths. The guidelines for the treatment of bipolar disorder in children and adolescents are generally similar to those applied in adult practice. But no evidence-based data support the use of mood stabilisers or antipsychotics since we only found two placebo-randomised controlled trials testing the efficacy of lithium in the paediatric literature. Therefore, we support the view that prescriptions should be limited to the most typical cases. In fact, the use of mood stabilisers or antipsychotics in the treatment of bipolar disorder in children and adolescents appears to be of limited use when a comorbid condition, such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, occurs unless aggressive behaviour is the target symptom.

Emotion regulation in children and adolescents: boundaries between normalcy and bipolar disorder

Much controversy has surrounded the diagnosis of bipolar disorder (BD) in children and adolescents. However, recent work from an affective neuroscience perspective has advanced what is known about the boundaries of emotion regulation in BD compared to typically developing youth. In this article, we first briefly review the clinical issues that have contributed to this diagnostic controversy. Second, we discuss our phenotyping system, which can be used to guide neurobiological research designed to address these controversial issues. Third, we review what is known about the fundamentals of emotion regulation in human and nonhuman primate models. Fourth, we present recent data demonstrating how children and adolescents with BD differ from those without psychopathology on measures of emotion regulation. Taken as a whole, this work implicates a neural circuit encompassing the prefrontal cortex, amygdala, and striatum in the pathophysiology of pediatric BD.

Consensus report on impulsive aggression as a symptom across diagnostic categories in child psychiatry: implications for medication studies

OBJECTIVE

To determine whether impulsive aggression (IA) is a meaningful clinical construct and to ascertain whether it is sufficiently similar across diagnostic categories, such that parallel studies across disorders might constitute appropriate evidence for pursuing indications. If so, how should IA be assessed, pharmacological studies designed, and ethical issues addressed?

METHOD

Experts from key stakeholder communities, including academic clinicians, researchers, practicing clinicians, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, National Institute of Mental Health, industry sponsors, and patient and family advocates, met for a 2-day consensus conference on November 4 and 5, 2004. After evaluating summary presentations on current research evidence, participants were assigned to three workgroups, examined core issues, and generated consensus guidelines in their areas. Workgroup recommendations were discussed by the whole group to reach consensus, and then further iterated and condensed into this report postconference by the authors.

RESULTS

Conference participants agreed that IA is a substantial public health and clinical concern, constitutes a key therapeutic target across multiple disorders, and can be measured with sufficient precision that pharmacological studies are warranted. Additional areas of consensus concerned types of measures, optimal study designs, and ethical imperatives.

CONCLUSION

Derived from scientific evidence and clinical experience, these consensus-driven recommendations can guide the design of future studies.

Psychopharmacology of pediatric bipolar disorder: a review

RATIONALE

Pediatric bipolar disorder (PBD) is a chronic and debilitating psychiatric illness. It is associated with many short-term and long-term complications including poor academic and social performance, legal problems and increased risk of suicide. Moreover, it is often complicated by other serious psychiatric disorders including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, conduct disorder and substance use disorders. For these reasons, there is a need for effective treatment for PBD.

OBJECTIVES

To review available data from published reports of the treatment of PBD, highlighting those treatment practices for which there is scientific evidence. To suggest directions for future research.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A comprehensive Medline search was performed to identify published reports from 1995 to 2006. Reports with the greatest methodological stringency received greater focus.

RESULTS

There is limited evidence from double-blind, placebo-controlled trials regarding the treatment of PBD. Available data suggests that lithium, some anticonvulsants and second-generation antipsychotics may be equally beneficial in the acute monotherapy for youth with mixed or manic states. However, because of limited response to acute monotherapy, there is increased justification for combination therapy. There is very limited data on the treatment of the depressed phase of bipolar illness in the youth. Also, very few studies have addressed the treatment of comorbidities and maintenance/relapse prevention in PBD.

CONCLUSION

Although significant progress was made in the treatment of youth with bipolar disorder, there is a need for more methodologically stringent research to more precisely define evidence-based treatment strategies for PBD.

Cognitive flexibility in phenotypes of pediatric bipolar disorder

OBJECTIVE

Clinicians and researchers debate whether children with chronic, nonepisodic irritability should receive the diagnosis of bipolar disorder (BD). To address this debate, we evaluated cognitive flexibility, or the ability to adapt to changing contingencies, in three groups of children: narrow-phenotype BD (NP-BD; full-duration manic episodes of elevated/expansive mood; N = 50; 13.1 +/- 2.9 years), severe mood dysregulation (SMD; chronic, nonepisodic irritability; N = 44; 12.2 +/- 2.1 years), and healthy controls (N = 43; 13.6 +/- 2.4 years). Cognitive flexibility is relevant to symptoms of BD involving dysfunctional reward systems (e.g., excessive goal-directed activity and pleasure-seeking in mania; anhedonia in depression).

METHOD

We studied simple and compound reversal stages of the intra-/extradimensional shift task and change task that involves inhibiting a prepotent response and substituting a novel response.

RESULTS

On the simple reversal, NP-BD youths were significantly more impaired than both the SMD group and controls. On the compound reversal, NP-BD and SMD youths performed worse than controls. On the change task, NP-BD youths were slower to adapt than SMD subjects.

CONCLUSIONS

Phenotypic differences in cognitive flexibility may reflect different brain/behavior mechanisms in these two patient populations.

A pilot study of antidepressant-induced mania in pediatric bipolar disorder: Characteristics, risk factors, and the serotonin transporter gene

BACKGROUND

Antidepressant-induced mania (AIM) has been described in bipolar disorder (BD) and has been associated with the short-allele of the serotonin transporter gene (5-HTT). We wished to investigate the frequency of and risk factors for AIM in pediatric patients with or at high risk for BD.

METHODS

Fifty-two children and adolescents (30 with BD and 22 with subthreshold manic symptoms, 15.1 +/- 3.4 years old), all with a parent with BD, were interviewed with their parents for manic/depressive symptoms occurring before and after past antidepressant treatment. The 47 subjects with serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) exposure were genotyped for the 5-HTT polymorphism.

RESULTS

Fifty percent of subjects were AIM+ and 25.5% had new onset of suicidal ideation. The AIM+ and AIM- groups did not differ significantly in relation to allele (p = .36) or genotype (p = .53) frequencies of the 5-HTT polymorphism. The AIM+ subjects were more likely to have more comorbidities (3.2 vs. 2.4; p = .02) and be BD type I (p = .04) than AIM- subjects.

CONCLUSIONS

Youth with or at high risk for BD may be particularly vulnerable to SSRI AIM and thus should be monitored if given SSRIs. In this preliminary study, we did not find that the 5-HTT polymorphism significantly influenced vulnerability to AIM.

Cognitive-behavioral therapy for bipolar disorders in adolescents: a pilot study

OBJECTIVES

To develop a cognitive behavioral intervention for adolescents with bipolar disorders, test its feasibility and preliminary efficacy.

METHODS

Based on existing research, a manualized, individually delivered cognitive behavioral intervention was developed and tested with adolescents with bipolar disorders as an adjunct to pharmacological treatment. Using existing data, baseline characteristics and outcome were compared to a matched group of eight adolescents with bipolar disorders who did not receive any psychosocial intervention.

RESULTS

Preliminary results support the feasibility and efficacy of this manualized cognitive behavioral intervention.

CONCLUSIONS

Individually delivered cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) as an adjunct to pharmacological treatment is feasible and associated with symptom improvement in adolescents with bipolar disorders. Randomized controlled studies are needed.

Pediatric bipolar disease: current and future perspectives for study of its long-term course and treatment

AIM AND METHODS

Findings from recent long-term, prospective longitudinal studies of the course, outcome and naturalistic treatment of adults with bipolar illness are highlighted as background for long-term developmental study of pediatric bipolar illness.

RESULTS

Accumulating knowledge of bipolar illness in adults underscores a high risk for multiple recurrences through the lifespan, significant medical morbidity, high rates of self-harm, economic and social burden and frequent treatment resistance with residual symptoms between major episodes. At present, there is no empirical foundation to support any assumption about the long-term course or outcome of bipolar illness when it arises in childhood or adolescence, or the effects of conventional pharmacotherapies in altering its course and limiting potentially adverse outcomes. The proposed research articulates specific descriptive aims that draw on adult findings and outlines core methodological requirements for such an endeavor.

CONCLUSIONS

Innovations in the description and quantitative analysis of prospective longitudinal clinical data must now be extended to large, systematically ascertained pediatric cohorts recruited through multicenter studies if there is to be a meaningful scientific advance in our knowledge of the enduring effects of bipolar illness and the potential value of contemporary approaches to its management.

The clinical phenotypes of juvenile bipolar disorder: toward a validation of the episodic-chronic-distinction

BACKGROUND

Recent research has addressed the issue of subtyping juvenile bipolar disorder (JBD). Accordingly, we set out to find out, in a naturalistic sample of bipolar children and adolescents with mania and mixed mania, whether the most useful subtyping should be based on clinical features (elated vs. irritable) or course (episodic vs. chronic).

METHODS

We studied 136 patients, 81 male patients (59.6%) and 55 female patients (40.4%), mean age 13.5 +/- 2.9 years, meeting the DSM-IV diagnosis of bipolar disorder, assessed by a structured clinical interview (Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children-Present and Lifetime Version [K-SADS-PL]).

RESULTS

Regarding course, 77 patients (56.6%) had an episodic course and 59 patients (43.4%) had a chronic course. Patients with chronic course were significantly younger, had an earlier onset of JBD, and presented a more frequent comorbidity with disruptive behavior disorders. According to the prevalent mood disturbance, 75 patients (55.1%) showed an elated and 61 patients (44.9%) showed an irritable mood. Elated mood was more frequent in patients with episodic course, whereas irritable mood was more frequent in the patients with chronic course.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings suggest that chronic versus episodic course may be a putative differential feature. Further validation of such a distinction would require prospective studies, temperament evaluation, gender and neurobiologic approaches, and differential psychopharmacologic assignment and response.