Quality of life in pediatric bipolar disorder

Comparing self-reported quality of life in youth with bipolar versus other disorders

OBJECTIVES

This study benchmarks quality of life (QoL) of youth with bipolar disorder (BD) against healthy youth, youth with chronic medical conditions, and youth with other psychiatric disorders. The relative impacts of depressive, (hypo)manic, mixed, and externalizing symptoms on QoL are tested for youth with BD.

METHOD

In total, 657 youth completed the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for Children (KSADS), the KSADS depression and mania scales, the Parent General Behavior Inventory (PGBI), and the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). Youth-reported QoL was determined by the Revised Children Quality of Life Questionnaire (KINDL) and was compared to healthy youth, youth with chronic medical conditions, and youth with other psychiatric disorders.

RESULTS

Youth with BD reported poorer QoL overall and on most subscales compared to healthy youth, youth with chronic medical conditions, youth with behavior disorders, and youth with other non-behavior/non-mood disorders. QoL in youth with BD did not differ significantly from QoL in youth with unipolar depression. Parent-report and interview-rated depressive symptoms were associated with decreases in Total QoL and all QoL subscales except Family. Externalizing symptoms were associated with decreases in Family QoL and increases in Friend QoL, and (hypo)manic symptoms were associated with increases in Emotional Well-Being QoL.

CONCLUSIONS

Depressive symptoms may drive the decline in QoL causing youth with BD to rate their QoL worse than healthy youth, youth with chronic medical conditions, and youth with behavior disorders, but not worse than youth with unipolar depression.

Cognitive, Family, and Quality-of-Life Characteristics of Youth with Depression Associated with Bipolar Disorder

Background: Depression associated with bipolar disorder (BD) is more common compared to mania. Cognitive, family, and quality-of-life (QOL) factors associated with pediatric bipolar depression are understudied. The goal of this study was to evaluate cognitive, family environmental, and QOL characteristics of youth with bipolar depression. Methods: Thirty-two youth (12-18 years of age) with BD type I currently depressed were recruited from inpatient and outpatient setting. Subjects were assessed using the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF), the Family Environment Scale (FES), and the Child Health Questionnaire-Parental-Form 50 (CHQ-PF50). Results were compared with population norms and the relationship between these domains was calculated. Results: Youth with depression associated with BD did not show significant impairment in executive functions. They displayed impaired family environment in the domains of cohesion, independence, achievement orientation, and organization. Youth also displayed impairments in the psychosocial health domains compared with the population normative data. The CHQ-Psychosocial health significantly negatively correlated with the BRIEF-Global Executive Control score (r = -0.76, p < 0.0001). Conclusion: Depression in youth with BD is associated with impairments in family functioning and QOL. Impairments in psychosocial QOL are associated with cognitive functioning. Further intervention studies examining executive functioning and family environment as treatment targets are needed. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier:NCT00232414.

Patient-reported outcome measures used to improve youth mental health services: a systematic review

BACKGROUND

Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) are standardized and validated self-administered questionnaires that assess whether healthcare interventions and practices improve patients' health and quality of life. PROMs are commonly implemented in children and youth mental health services, as they increasingly emphasize patient-centered care. The objective of this study was to identify and describe the PROMs that are currently in use with children and youth living with mental health conditions (MHCs).

METHODS

Three databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, and PsycINFO) were systematically searched that used PROMs with children and youth < 18 years of age living with at least one diagnosed MHC. All methods were noted according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analysis. Four independent reviewers extracted data, which included study characteristics (country, year), setting, the type of MHC under investigation, how the PROMs were used, type of respondent, number of items, domain descriptors, and the psychometric properties.

RESULTS

Of the 5004 articles returned by the electronic search, 34 full-texts were included in this review. This review identified both generic and disease-specific PROMs, and of the 28 measures identified, 13 were generic, two were generic preference-based, and 13 were disease-specific.

CONCLUSION

This review shows there is a diverse array of PROMs used in children and youth living with MHCs. Integrating PROMs into the routine clinical care of youth living with MHCs could improve the mental health of youth. Further research on how relevant these PROMs are children and youth with mental health conditions will help establish more uniformity in the use of PROMs for this population.

Psychosocial Treatments for Bipolar Disorder in Children and Adolescents

Evidence suggests that adjunctive psychosocial intervention for the treatment of pediatric bipolar spectrum disorders (BPSDs) is effective, feasible, and highly accepted as both an acute and maintenance treatment for youth with BPSD diagnoses as well as a preventive treatment for high-risk youth who are either asymptomatic or exhibit subsyndromal mood symptoms. Here, we provide a comprehensive review of all known evidence-based interventions, including detailed descriptions of treatment targets and core components, results of clinical trials, and updated research on mediators and moderators of treatment efficacy. Treatments are presented systematically according to level of empirical support (i.e., well established, probably efficacious, possibly efficacious, experimental, or questionable); upcoming and ongoing trials are included when possible. In line with a staging approach, preventive interventions are presented separately. Recommendations for best practices based on age, stage, and additional evidence-based child and family factors shown to affect treatment outcomes are provided. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Clinical Psychology, Volume 18 is May 2022. Please see http://www.annualreviews.org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.

Systematic Review and Network Meta-analysis: Efficacy and Safety of Second-Generation Antipsychotics in Youths With Bipolar Depression

OBJECTIVE

To assess the relative efficacy and safety of second-generation antipsychotics for treating major depressive episodes in youths with bipolar disorder.

METHOD

A systematic literature review using PRISMA guidelines and network meta-analysis (NMA) of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of second-generation antipsychotics for bipolar depression in youths 10 to 18 years of age was conducted. Efficacy measures included Children's Depression Rating Scale, Revised (CDRS-R) and Clinical Global Impressions-Bipolar Disorder-Severity Depression (CGI-BP-S-depression) and Overall (CGI-BP-S-overall) scores. Available safety outcomes included discontinuations (all-cause, lack of efficacy, adverse events), metabolic parameters (weight change, cholesterol, triglycerides, glucose), changes in prolactin, and somnolence. Results from the NMA were reported as mean changes from baseline or odds ratios (OR) with 95% credible intervals (CrIs).

RESULTS

Four RCTs comparing placebo to lurasidone, quetiapine (1 each for immediate- and extended-release), and the olanzapine-fluoxetine combination (OFC) met all of the inclusion criteria. Lurasidone and OFC demonstrated similar and statistically significant improvements in CDRS-R, but quetiapine did not (lurasidone: -5.70 [-8.66, -2.76]; OFC: -5.01 [-8.63, -1.38]; quetiapine: -1.85 [-5.99, 2.27]). Lurasidone was associated with smaller changes in weight, cholesterol, and triglycerides from baseline compared to OFC and quetiapine. There were no differences in changes in glucose levels among antipsychotics. In addition, lurasidone was associated with smaller change in prolactin levels compared to OFC but not quetiapine.

CONCLUSION

Evidence from 4 studies in this NMA indicated that lurasidone and OFC, but not quetiapine, were efficacious for the treatment of bipolar depression in youths. Lurasidone was associated with less weight gain and smaller impacts on cholesterol and triglycerides compared with quetiapine and OFC.

Social impairment in relation to clinical symptoms in youth at high risk for bipolar disorder

AIM

Social impairment is common in individuals with bipolar disorder (BD), although its role in youths at high-risk for BD (i.e., mood symptoms in the context of a family history of BD) is not well understood. Social impairment takes many forms including social withdrawal, relational aggression, physical aggression, and victimization. The aim of this study was to explore the links between social impairment and clinical symptoms in youth at high-risk for BD.

METHODS

The sample included 127 youths with elevations in mood symptoms (depression or hypomania) and at least one first and/or second degree relative with BD. Measures of youths' current psychopathology (i.e., depressive and manic severity, suicidality, anxiety, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder [ADHD]) were regressed onto youths' self-reports of social impairment (i.e., social withdrawal, relational aggression, physical aggression, and victimization).

RESULTS

Depressive symptoms, suicidal ideation, and anxiety symptoms were related to social withdrawal. Suicidal ideation was also related to reactive aggression. ADHD symptoms related to reactive and proactive aggression as well as relational victimization. Manic symptoms were not associated with social impairment in this sample.

CONCLUSIONS

Although cross-sectional, study findings point to potential treatment targets related to social functioning. Specifically, social withdrawal should be a target for treatment of childhood depressive and anxiety symptoms. Treatments that focus on social skills and cognitive functioning deficits associated with BD may also have clinical utility.

Facial emotion recognition and mood symptom course in young adults with childhood-onset bipolar disorder

Facial emotion recognition deficits are common in bipolar disorder (BD) and associated with impairment. However, the relationship between facial emotion recognition and mood course is not well understood. This study examined facial emotion recognition and subsequent mood symptoms in young adults with childhood-onset BD versus typically developing controls (TDCs). The sample included 116 young adults (ages 18-30, 58% male, 78% White) with prospectively verified childhood-onset BD (n = 52) and TDCs (n = 64). At baseline, participants completed a facial emotion recognition task (Diagnostic Analysis of Non-Verbal Accuracy-2) and clinical measures. Then, participants with BD completed mood symptom assessments every 6 months (M = 8.7 ± 5.2 months) over two years. Analyses included independent-samples t tests and mixed-effects regression models. Participants with BD made significantly more recognition errors for child expressions than TDCs. There were no significant between-group differences for recognition errors for adult expressions, or errors for specific child or adult emotional expressions. Participants had moderate baseline mood symptoms. Significant time-by-facial emotion recognition interactions revealed more recognition errors for child emotional expressions predicted lower baseline mania and stable/consistent trajectory; fewer recognition errors for child expressions predicted higher baseline mania and decreasing trajectory. In addition, more recognition errors for adult sad expressions predicted stable/consistent depression trajectory and decreasing mania; fewer recognition errors for adult sad expressions predicted decreasing depression trajectory and stable/consistent mania. Effects remained when controlling for baseline demographics and clinical variables. Facial emotion recognition may be an important brain/behavior mechanism, prognostic indicator, and intervention target for childhood-onset BD, which endures into young adulthood and is associated with mood trajectory.

A Randomized, Double-Blind, Controlled Trial of Lithium Versus Quetiapine for the Treatment of Acute Mania in Youth with Early Course Bipolar Disorder

Objective: To compare the efficacy and tolerability of lithium versus quetiapine for the treatment of manic or mixed episodes in youths with early course bipolar I disorder. Methods: Six-week, randomized, double-blind clinical trial of lithium versus quetiapine for the treatment of adolescents with acute manic/mixed episode. Target dose of quetiapine dose was adjusted to a target dose of 400-600 mg and target serum level for lithium was 1.0-1.2 mEq/L. Primary outcome measure was baseline-to-endpoint change in the Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS). Secondary outcomes were treatment response (50% or more decrease from baseline in YMRS score) and remission (YMRS score ≤12, Children's Depression Rating Scale-Revised [CDRS-R] total score ≤28 and Clinical Global Impression Bipolar Severity Scale [CGI-BP-S] overall score of ≤3, respectively). Results: A total of 109 patients were randomized (quetiapine = 58 and lithium = 51). Participants in the quetiapine treatment group showed a significantly greater reduction in YMRS score than those in the lithium group (-11.0 vs. -13.2; p < 0.001; effect size 0.39). Response rate was 72% in the quetiapine group and 49% in the lithium group (p = 0.012); no differences in remission rates between groups were observed. Most frequent side effects for lithium were headaches (60.8%), nausea (39.2%), somnolence (27.5%), and tremor (27.5%); for quetiapine somnolence (63.8%), headaches (55.2%), tremor (36.2%), and dizziness (36.2%) were evidenced. Participants receiving quetiapine experienced more somnolence (p < 0.001), dizziness (p < 0.05), and weight gain (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Treatment with both lithium and quetiapine led to clinical improvement. Most study participants in this study experienced a clinical response; however, less than half of the participants in this study achieved symptomatic remission. The head-to-head comparison of both treatment groups showed quetiapine was associated with a statistically significant greater rate of response and overall symptom reduction compared with lithium. Trial registration: clinicaltrials.gov NCT00893581.

I'm Not Being Critical, You're Just Too Sensitive: Pediatric Bipolar Disorder and Families

The present study examines the relationship between Perceived Criticism (PC) and Sensitivity to Criticism (SC) in youth with Bipolar Spectrum Disorder (BPSD), their symptomatic experiences, and family functioning. We hypothesized that findings for youth would be consistent with findings for adults indicating that PC and SC would be associated with a worse clinical presentation, and that associations between family criticism and sensitivity and youth symptoms would be stronger for youth with BPSD than with other clinical diagnoses. We examined 828 youths ages 4-18 years (M=10.9, SD=3.4) and their caregivers from diverse ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds using the Longitudinal Expert evaluation of All Data (LEAD) diagnoses (Spitzer, 1983), the parent-reported General Behavior Inventory (Youngstrom et al., 2001), The Perceived Criticism Scale (Hooley & Teasdale, 1989), and the Family Assessment Device (Epstein et al., 1983). We found significant positive association between parent reports of youth criticalness and more severe manic and depression symptoms, greater mood lability, higher suicidality, and worse overall functioning. Youth with BPSD were significantly more critical and had higher SC than youth without BPSD. Interactions between BPSD and family criticalness and sensitivity were found in their links with youth symptoms. Negative associations between criticism and sensitivity and youth global family functioning were significant only for youth with BPSD. The positive association between criticism and youth mood lability was significant only for youth with BPSD. Our findings suggest that family factors and interactional patterns impact and are influenced by functioning in youth with BPSD and that family-based treatments should be considered routinely with these youth.

Medication Adherence in Pediatric Patients with Bipolar Disorder: A Systematic Review

Objectives: Pediatric bipolar disorder is a severe disabling condition affecting 1%-3% of youth worldwide. Both acute and maintenance treatment with medications are mainstays of treatment. It is well established in adult literature that adherence to medications improves outcomes and many adult studies have examined factors impacting adherence. This systematic review set out to identify the current state of research examining adherence to medications and characteristics influencing adherence in pediatric bipolar disorder. Methods: We performed a systematic literature review in the Medline, PsycINFO, CINAHL, EMBASE, Wiley Clinical Trials, and Cochrane databases. New research regarding characteristics and measurement of adherence to psychotropic medication for bipolar disorder (I, II, or not otherwise specified) in patients ≤18 years old were included for review. Exclusion criteria included no bipolar diagnosis, inclusion of patients >18 years old, no pharmacologic treatment, and lack of adherence measurements. Results: Initial search generated 439 articles after duplicate removal. One hundred thirty-three full-text articles were reviewed, 16 underwent additional review and 6 were selected for final inclusion. The majority of articles were excluded for patients >18 years old. Included articles were extremely heterogeneous for multiple measures, including methodology, determination of adherence, adherence rates, and characteristics influencing adherence. Of medications evaluated, 6/6 studies included mood stabilizers, 4/6 antidepressants, 3/6 antipsychotics, and 2/6 psychostimulants. Three out of six articles included patients <12 years old. Some significant factors affecting adherence included polypharmacy, comorbid psychiatric diagnoses, socioeconomic status, sex, family history and functioning, side effects, race, stability of bipolar diagnosis, and number of follow-up visits attended. Conclusions: Pediatric-specific information on medication adherence in bipolar disorder is very limited. Information on patient characteristics that may influence adherence rates is critical to target interventions to improve adherence. No articles reported on interventions to improve adherence. Given the different psychosocial situations of pediatric patients versus adults, it is likely that targets for improving adherence differ in pediatric patients.

FAB: First UK feasibility trial of a future randomised controlled trial of Family focused treatment for Adolescents with Bipolar disorder

BACKGROUND

This first mixed-methods UK trial examined the feasibility and acceptability of a future definitive randomised controlled trial (RCT) to evaluate whether Family Focussed Treatment for Adolescents with Bipolar Disorder (FFT-A) UK version can improve family functioning and well-being as part of the management of Paediatric Bipolar Disorder (PBD).

METHOD

The trial used a randomised, parallel group, non-blinded design where participants received FFT-A UK (16 sessions over 6 months) immediately or after 12 months (delayed arm). Measures of family functioning, well-being and quality of life of the young person and the main carer (most commonly a parent) were completed at baseline, 6 and 12-months in both arms. Primary outcome measures included rates of eligibility, consent and retention along with estimates of variability in the measures and assessment of the intervention delivery. Qualitative interviews allowed assessment of participants' views about FFT-A and the trial processes.

RESULTS

Twenty-seven of 36 young persons with PBD and their families consented; of these, 14 families were randomised to the immediate and 13 to the delayed arm. Two families from the immediate arm withdrew consent and discontinued participation. Quantitative measures were completed by 22 families (88%) at 6-months and 21 families (84%) at 12-months. Qualitative interviews were conducted with 30 participants (9 young people, 15 parents and 6 other family members). Nine families attended 3 post-trial focus groups.

CONCLUSION

It was feasible to recruit and retain to this trial. The results highlighted that trial design and measures were acceptable to participants. A benefit in family relationships was reported by participants which they attributed to the intervention in qualitative interviews. Families recommended that future modifications include definitive trial(s) recruiting participants in the age range 15-25 years as it felt this was the age range with maximum need. Trial registration ISRCTN, ISRCTN59769322. Registered 20 January 2014, http://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN59769322.

Functional Impairment and Clinical Correlates in Adolescents with Bipolar Disorder Compared to Healthy Controls. A Case-control Study

BACKGROUND

Evidence shows that most adolescents with bipolar disorder (BD) achieve syndromic recovery after being referred to specialized treatment. However, functional recovery is reached in less than 50% of those cases.

METHOD

Descriptive cross-sectional case-control study, based on a clinical sample of 44 BD patients aged 12-19, matched by age and sex with 44 healthy controls (HC). Psychopathology was ascertained using the KSADS-PL, in addition to the clinical scales. Information about previous academic performance was included, as well as functional outcome based on the Children's Global Assessment Functioning Scale (CGAS). Previous exposure to stressful experiences was assessed using the Schedule for Stressful Life Events (SLES). All analyses were performed using either conditional or stepwise logistic regression models.

RESULTS

Once they have become stabilized, and even after controlling for socio-demographic differences, BD patients were associated with lower levels of functionality [OR 0.65 (0.46, 0.93), p=0.02], and worse performance at school [OR 0.03 (0.01, 0.67), p=0.03] compared with HC. Persistent sub-syndromal psychosis showed the strongest negative correlation with functionality (rho=-0.65, -0.57 for BD and HC respectively; p<0.001). Although BD was associated with more stressful life events, this association did not remain significant in the multivariate models.

LIMITATIONS

The small sample size limits our ability to detect differences between groups, and between BD subtypes.

CONCLUSIONS

Even when early detection and intervention is provided, BD has a significant impact on functioning and academic performance. It is important to address persistent sub-threshold symptoms and to emphasize the social and rehabilitative components of treatment.

Similarities and Differences Across Bipolar Disorder Subtypes Among Adolescents

Objectives: To compare demographic, clinical, and familial characteristics across bipolar disorder (BD) subtypes in adolescents. Methods: A total of 168 participants, 13 to 19 years of age, with BD-I (n = 41), BD-II (n = 68), or operationalized BD-not otherwise specified (NOS) (n = 59) were recruited from a tertiary subspecialty clinic at an academic health sciences center. Diagnoses were determined using the semistructured K-SADS-PL (Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children-Present and Lifetime Version) interview. Omnibus analyses were followed up with post hoc pairwise comparisons. Results: After controlling for age, race, and living with both natural parents, BD-I was associated with greater functional impairment, increased rates of psychiatric hospitalization, psychosis, and lifetime exposure to second-generation antipsychotics and lithium, less self-injurious behavior, less anxiety disorders, and less severe worst lifetime depression and lower levels of emotional dysregulation and lability compared with both BD-II and BD-NOS. Lifetime most severe manic symptoms were highest in BD-I, lowest in BD-NOS, with BD-II intermediate. Lifetime exposure to psychosocial treatment followed the opposite pattern: lowest in BD-I, highest in BD-NOS, with BD-II intermediate. Variables for which there were no significant between-group differences included suicidal ideation, suicide attempts, comorbidities other than anxiety, or family history of BD. Conclusion: Among observed differences, most distinguish BD-I from other subtypes, whereas few variables differed between BD-II and BD-NOS. Different BD subtypes share important similarities in multiple clinical and familial characteristics, including family history of BD. Present findings support and extend knowledge regarding the course and outcome of bipolar youth study operationalized definition of BD-NOS. Further research is warranted to evaluate intermediate phenotypes and treatment strategies that address these subtype-related differences.

Interpersonal Relationships and Suicidal Ideation in Youth with Bipolar Disorder

This study examines how relationship quality in family and peer domains are associated with suicidal ideation (SI) in youth with bipolar disorder (BP). We assessed 404 Course and Outcome of Bipolar Youth study participants for psychiatric disorders and SI at intake and for family/peer relationships the month after intake. Multivariate logistic regression examined associations between relationships and SI, controlling for significant covariates. There were 144 youth (36%) who reported SI at intake; bivariate analyses indicated they had significantly worse family/peer relationships. Multivariate analyses showed that family/peer relationships were associated with current SI, controlling for significant covariates. Results support associations between poor relationships and SI in BP youth, regardless of current mood symptom severity. Clinicians should assess relationships when completing risk assessments with BP youth.

Health-Related Quality of Life in Children With Congenital Hyperinsulinism

Background: Quality of life (QoL) has not been studied in patients with congenital hyperinsulinism (CHI). Objectives: To examine whether the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is worsened in patients with persistent or transient CHI. Methods: We studied HRQoL of 65 children with CHI aged 3-17 years (60% males) recruited from the nationwide CHI registry. The median ages were 9.6 (range 3.5-16.3) and 7.4 (3.1-17.9) years in persistent (P-CHI, n = 33) and transient (T-CHI, n = 32) CHI groups, respectively. HRQoL was examined by generic KINDL-R questionnaire and the scores were compared to the age- and gender-specific reference values. Results: In self-reports of subjects aged 11-17 years and in parent reports of children aged 3-17 years, P-CHI or T-CHI children did not have statistically lower scores in any of the six dimensions (physical well-being, emotional well-being, self-esteem, family, friends, and school) or in total scores compared to the reference values. Conclusions: CHI is not associated with low HRQoL in childhood or adolescence.

Adaptation of Multi-Family Psychoeducational Psychotherapy (MF-PEP) for Adolescents with Mood Disorders: Preliminary Findings

Adolescent mood disorders are a major public health concern. Clinical need for services outstrips availability in many communities. Group psychotherapy is an efficient means to provide service to a larger number of clientele and can offer certain clinical advantages. Multi-Family Psychoeducational Psychotherapy (MF-PEP), an adjunctive group psychosocial treatment, has been shown to improve children's mood symptoms, increase parents' knowledge of mood disorder symptoms, improve family interactions and improve use of behavioral health services. In this study, an adaptation of MF-PEP for adolescents with mood disorders is described and preliminary data are presented. Among the 19 adolescents with mood disorders and 22 parents who completed the study, improvements in adolescents' depressive symptoms, quality of life, families' understanding of mood disorders, and overall satisfaction with treatment were reported. Results have informed ongoing pilot testing of Teen-MF-PEP.

Suicidal Risk, Psychopathology, and Quality of Life in a Clinical Population of Adolescents

BACKGROUND

According to literature data, psychopathology is associated with both quality of life (QoL) and suicidal risk in adolescents, but the literature does not fully support a direct association between psychopathology and suicidal thoughts and behaviors. The aim of this study was to investigate the possible mediational role of QoL in the relationship between psychopathology and level of suicidal risk in a clinical sample of adolescents.

METHOD

The authors examined a clinical population of 134 adolescents, aged 13-18 years. Suicidal risk-having any current suicidal ideations and/or previous suicide attempt-was assessed by the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview. QoL was evaluated by the adolescent self-rated versions of "Das Intervertar zur Erfassung der Lebensqualität Kindern und Jugendlichen" (ILK: Measure of Quality of Life for Children and Adolescents) and psychopathology was measured by adolescent self-rated versions of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). A mediational model, in which QoL mediated the relationship between psychopathology and suicidal risk controlling for gender and age, was tested by means of regression analyses.

RESULTS

Gender and age were both associated with suicidal risk. Self-reported QoL significantly mediated the relationships between emotional problems (=1.846; 95% BCa CI: 0.731-2.577), as well as peer problems (=0.883; 95% BCa CI: 0.055-1.561) and suicidal risk: more emotional and peer problems were associated with lower QoL, which in turn was related to higher level of suicidal risk.

CONCLUSION

Based on this study, which aims to make further steps in suicidal prevention, our findings suggest that clinicians should routinely screen the QoL of their patients, especially in adolescents with emotional and peer problems. Furthermore, it is important to focus intervention and treatment efforts on improving the QoL of adolescents with emotional and peer problems.

Efficacy and Safety of Lurasidone in Children and Adolescents With Bipolar I Depression: A Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the efficacy and safety of lurasidone in children and adolescents with bipolar depression.

METHOD

Patients 10 to 17 years old with a DSM-5 diagnosis of bipolar I depression were randomized to 6 weeks of double-blind treatment with flexible doses of lurasidone 20 to 80 mg/day. The primary endpoint was change from baseline to week 6 in the Children's Depression Rating Scale-Revised (CDRS-R) total score, evaluated by a mixed-model repeated-measures analysis.

RESULTS

A total of 347 patients were randomized and received at least 1 dose of lurasidone (n = 175; mean age 14.2 years; mean dose 33.6 mg/day) or placebo (n = 172; mean age 14.3 years). At week 6, treatment with lurasidone was associated with statistically significant improvement compared with placebo in CDRS-R total score (-21.0 versus -15.3; p < .0001; effect size 0.45). Lurasidone also was associated with statistically significant improvement in the Clinical Global Impression-Bipolar Severity depression score (key secondary measure) and in measures of anxiety, quality of life, and global functioning. Study completion rates were 92.0% in the lurasidone group and 89.7% in the placebo group; discontinuation rates due to adverse events were the same for the 2 groups (1.7%). The 2 most common adverse events on lurasidone were nausea and somnolence. Treatment with lurasidone was associated with few effects on weight and metabolic parameters.

CONCLUSION

In this placebo-controlled study, monotherapy with lurasidone, in the dose range of 20 to 80 mg/day, significantly decreased depressive symptoms in children and adolescents with bipolar depression. Lurasidone was well tolerated, with minimal effects on weight and metabolic parameters. Clinical trial registration information-Lurasidone Pediatric Bipolar Study; http://Clinicaltrials.gov; NCT02046369.

Enhancing quality of life among adolescents with bipolar disorder: A randomized trial of two psychosocial interventions

BACKGROUND

Adolescents with bipolar disorder (BD) report lower quality of life (QoL) than adolescents with other psychiatric disorders. This study compared the efficacy of family-focused therapy for adolescents (FFT-A) plus pharmacotherapy to brief psychoeducation (enhanced care, or EC) plus pharmacotherapy on self-rated QoL in adolescents with BD over 2 years.

METHODS

Participants were 141 adolescents (mean age: 15.6±1.4yr) with BD I or II who had a mood episode in the previous 3 months. Adolescents and parents were randomly assigned to (1) FFT-A, given in 21 sessions in 9 months of psychoeducation, communication enhancement training, and problem-solving skills training, or (2) EC, given in 3 family psychoeducation sessions. Study psychiatrists provided patient participants with protocol-based pharmacotherapy for the duration of the study. QoL was assessed with The KINDL^RQuestionnaire (Ravens-Sieberer and Bullinger, 1998) during active treatment (baseline to 9 months) and during a post-treatment follow-up (9-24 months).

RESULTS

The two treatment groups did not differ in overall QoL scores over 24 months. However, adolescents in FFT-A had greater improvements in quality of family relationships and physical well-being than participants in EC. For quality of friendships, the trajectory during active treatment favored EC, whereas the trajectory during post-treatment favored FFT-A.

LIMITATIONS

We were unable to standardize medication use or adherence over time. Quality of life was based on self-report rather than on observable functioning.

CONCLUSIONS

A short course of family psychoeducation and skills training may enhance relational functioning and health in adolescents with BD. The effects of different psychosocial interventions on peer relationships deserves further study.

Retinal photography: A window into the cardiovascular-brain link in adolescent bipolar disorder

OBJECTIVE

The burden of cardiovascular disease in bipolar disorder (BD) exceeds what can be explained by traditional cardiovascular risk factors (CVRFs), lifestyle, and/or medications. Moreover, neurocognitive deficits are a core feature of BD, and are also related to CVRFs. We examined retinal vascular photography, a proxy for cerebral microvasculature, in relation to CVRFs, peripheral microvascular function, and neurocognition among BD adolescents.

METHODS

Subjects were 30 adolescents with BD and 32 healthy controls (HC). Retinal photography was conducted using a Topcon TRC 50 DX, Type IA camera, following pupil dilation. Retinal arteriolar and venular caliber was measured, from which the arterio-venular ratio (AVR) was computed. All measures were conducted masked to participant diagnosis. Peripheral arterial tonometry measured endothelial function. Neurocognition was assessed using the Cambridge Neuropsychological Tests Automated Battery.

RESULTS

AVR was not significantly different between groups (Cohen's d=0.18, p=0.103). Higher diastolic blood pressure (BP) was associated with lower (worse) AVR in BD (r=-0.441, p=0.015) but not HC (r=-0.192, p=0.293). Similarly, in the BD group only, higher (better) endothelial function was associated with higher AVR (r=0.375, p=0.041). Hierarchical regression models confirmed that, independent of covariates, retinal vascular caliber was significantly associated with diastolic BP and endothelial function in BD. Within the BD group, mood scores were significantly negatively correlated with AVR (β=-0.451, p=0.044).

LIMITATIONS

This study's limitations include a small sample size, a cross-sectional study design, and a heterogeneous sample.

CONCLUSION

Retinal photography may offer unique insights regarding the cardiovascular and neurocognitive burden of BD. Larger longitudinal studies are warranted.

Psychiatric Disorders and Quality of Life in the Offspring of Parents with Bipolar Disorder

OBJECTIVE

To determine current and lifetime psychopathology and assess quality of life (QoL) in offspring of a parent with bipolar disorder (BD).

METHODS

We investigated 43 offspring of bipolar parents (high-risk offspring [HRO]) (mean age 12.5 ± 3.1; range 6.7-17.9 years) and 43 comparison offspring matched for sex, age, and IQ of healthy parents. Lifetime and current presence of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th ed. (DSM-5) diagnoses were assessed using Kiddie-Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia-Present and Lifetime Version (K-SADS-PL). We administered parent and self-report versions of General Behavior Inventory and the Screen for Child Anxiety-Related Emotional Disorders (SCARED). QoL was evaluated using the self-report questionnaire KIDSCREN-52.

RESULTS

Thirty-seven HRO (86%) and 18 controls (42%) met DSM-5 criteria for at least one lifetime psychiatric diagnosis (adjusted OR = 7.20; 95% CI 2.27-22.81). Compared to controls, HRO had higher lifetime frequency of any mood disorder (33% vs. 2%, p < 0.001), anxiety disorder (60% vs. 14%, p < 0.001), and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (26% vs. 5%, p = 0.01). After adjustment for confounders, only mood (OR = 13.05; 95% CI 1.41-120.60) and anxiety (OR = 9.69; 95% CI 2.75-34.31) disorders remained significantly more frequent in the HRO group. In comparison with controls, HRO scored lower in the following domains: QoL, social support and relationship with peers (p = 0.003; Cohen's d = 0.91), parent relationships and home life (p = 0.008; d = 0.67), as well as self-perception (p = 0.04; d = 0.55).

CONCLUSIONS

In agreement with other studies, we found a higher rate of lifetime anxiety and mood disorders in children and adolescents at confirmed familial risk for BD. Reduction in QoL was already evident across a number of domains. Adult psychiatrists should incorporate into their assessment procedures targeted questions on the presence of psychopathology in offspring of their adult patients with severe mental disorders and child services should bridge with adult services providing accessible services to children of affected parents.

Quality of life in anxious adolescents

PURPOSE

To examine associations between health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and anxiety symptoms across anxiety domains (obsessions/compulsions, social anxiety, panic disorder, agoraphobia, separation anxiety, physical injury fears, generalised anxiety, and posttraumatic stress) in a general adolescent population. Expanded knowledge about these associations can provide valuable information for improving interventions and prevention strategies for adolescent anxiety.

METHODS

Cross-sectional data about anxiety were collected via a school survey from a community sample of Norwegian adolescents aged 12-17 (N = 1719). Based on scores from the Spence Children's Anxiety Scale (SCAS), each adolescent was categorized as reporting a low, medium, or high level of anxiety. Each adolescent's HRQoL was then measured using the Questionnaire for Measuring Health-Related Quality of Life in Children and Adolescents Revised Version (KINDL-R). Hierarchical regression analyses were performed to determine any relationship between anxiety symptoms and HRQoL.

RESULTS

Across domains of anxiety, anxiety symptoms were inversely associated with overall HRQoL. All HRQoL-dimensions were inversely associated with overall level of anxiety symptoms. In adolescents with medium and high anxiety symptoms, poor HRQoL was documented in all HRQoL dimensions with the exception of the family dimension.

CONCLUSIONS

The strong association between elevated levels of anxiety symptoms and poor HRQoL demonstrate the importance of improved mental health interventions and prevention initiatives targeting anxious adolescents.

Quality of life in children and adolescents with bipolar I depression treated with olanzapine/fluoxetine combination

BACKGROUND

We examined the efficacy of olanzapine/fluoxetine combination (OFC) in improving health-related quality of life (QoL) in the treatment of bipolar depression in children and adolescents.

METHODS

Patients aged 10-17 years with bipolar I disorder, depressed episode, baseline children's depression rating scale-revised (CDRS-R) total score ≥40, Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS) total score ≤15, and YMRS-item 1 ≤ 2 were randomized to OFC (6/25-12/50 mg/day olanzapine/fluoxetine; n = 170) or placebo (n = 85) for up to 8 weeks of double-blind treatment. Patients and parents completed the revised KINDL questionnaire for measuring health-related QoL in children and adolescents (KINDL-R) at baseline and endpoint. The mean change in CDRS-R total and item scores were used to compare improvement in symptomatology in patients taking OFC and placebo. Tests were 2-sided using a Type I error cutoff of 0.05, and no adjustments for multiple comparisons were made.

RESULTS

Baseline QoL as measured by the KINDL-R was substantially impaired relative to published norms for a healthy school-based sample. OFC-treated patients demonstrated an improvement over placebo at endpoint with respect to mean change from baseline in the patient-rated KINDL-R Self-esteem subscale score (p = 0.028), and in the parent KINDL-R ratings of emotional well-being (p = 0.020), Self-esteem (p = 0.030), and Family (p = 0.006). At endpoint, OFC-treated patients still had a lower QoL compared to the normative population. OFC showed significant improvement (p ≤ 0.05) versus placebo on the CDRS-R total score and on 7 of the 17 CDRS-R items.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients aged 10-17 years with an acute episode of bipolar depression and their parents reported greater improvements (parents noticed improvements in more areas than did their offspring) on some aspects of QoL when treated with OFC compared with placebo. However, after 8 weeks of treatment, KINDL-R endpoint scores remained lower than those of the, presumably healthy, control population. Clinical trial registration information A Study for Assessing Treatment of Patients Ages 10-17 with Bipolar Depression; http://www.clinicaltrials.gov; NCT00844857.

Parenting Stress Among Caregivers of Children With Bipolar Spectrum Disorders

Caregivers of psychiatrically impaired children experience considerable parenting stress. However, no research has evaluated parenting stress within the context of pediatric bipolar spectrum disorders (BPSD). Thus, the aim of this investigation was to identify predictors and moderators of stress among caregivers in the Longitudinal Assessment of Manic Symptoms study. Participants included 640 children and their caregivers in the Longitudinal Assessment of Manic Symptoms cohort. Children had a mean age of 9.4 ± 1.9 years (68% male, 23% BPSD); parents had a mean age of 36.5 ± 8.3 years (84% mothers). Children with BPSD had more service utilization, psychiatric diagnoses, mood and anxiety symptoms, and functional impairment but fewer disruptive behavior disorders. Caregivers of children with BPSD were more likely than caregivers of children without BPSD to have a partner, elevated depressive symptoms, antisocial tendencies, and parenting stress (Cohen's d = .49). For the whole sample, higher child IQ, mania, anxiety, disruptive behavior, and caregiver depression predicted increased parenting stress; maternal conduct disorder predicted lower stress. Child anxiety and disruptive behavior were associated with elevated caregiver stress only for non-BPSD children. Caregivers of children with BPSD experience significant burden and thus require specialized, family-focused interventions. As stress was also elevated, to a lesser degree, among depressed caregivers of children with higher IQ, mania, anxiety, and disruptive behavior, these families may need additional supports as well. Although parents with conduct/antisocial problems evidenced lower stress, these difficulties should be monitored. Thus, parenting stress should be evaluated and addressed in the treatment of childhood mental health problems, especially BPSD.

Quality of life in youth with bipolar disorder and unaffected offspring of parents with bipolar disorder

BACKGROUND

There have been few studies investigating quality of life (QoL) in pediatric bipolar disorder (BD) patients and none comparing it with that observed in unaffected offspring of parents with BD and healthy controls.

METHODS

The self-report Youth Quality of Life Instrument-Research version (YQoL-R) was administered in 26 pediatric BD patients, 17 unaffected offspring of parents with BD, and 24 individuals with no history of DSM-IV Axis I psychiatric disorders. All diagnoses were determined through interviews based on the Kiddie Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children-Present and Lifetime Version.

RESULTS

There were statistical differences among the groups for all YQoL-R domains. Pairwise comparisons showed that perceived QoL was significantly worse in the BD group than in the unaffected offspring and healthy subjects, a difference that persisted even when only euthymic subjects were analyzed. There were no significant differences between the unaffected offspring and healthy subjects for any YQoL-R domain.

LIMITATIONS

Our sample was small. There was no QoL report from subjects parents nor data about family environment or BD parents' mood state.

CONCLUSIONS

There is a need for studies to investigate in greater detail the relationship between QoL and psychological resilience, particularly in the unaffected offspring of parents with BD.

Pilot Effectiveness Evaluation of Community-Based Multi-Family Psychoeducational Psychotherapy for Childhood Mood Disorders

Several psychosocial, family-focused Evidence-Based Treatments (EBTs) for youth with disruptive behavior have proven effective in practice settings. However, limited research has examined community implementation of EBTs for pediatric depression and bipolar disorder. This pilot open trial evaluated Multi-Family Psychoeducational Psychotherapy (MF-PEP) with 41 children ages 7 to 12 (54% male, 92% Caucasian) with mood disorders and their parents in an outpatient setting. MF-PEP is an 8-session, adjunctive EBT with parallel child and parent groups. Fourteen community therapists facilitated six MF-PEP groups at three agencies over two years. Developed checklists were used to evaluate adherence. Clinical outcomes were measured via clinician assessment and self-report questionnaires at pre-treatment, post-treatment, 6-month follow-up, and 12-month follow-up, and analyzed via hierarchical linear modeling. Therapist group adherence ranged from 66.71% to 78.68% (M = 72.14%, SD = 4.85). Children experienced significant improvement in depressive and manic symptoms, and parents reported a significant increase in knowledge of mood disorders. Children with bipolar disorder and families with limited treatment history benefitted most from MF-PEP. Effect sizes (Cohen's d) ranged from small to large for mood outcomes (d = 0.34 to 1.18), knowledge (d = 1.02), and treatment beliefs (d = 0.04 to 0.41). Limitations included small sample, missing data, and open design. Results suggest that MF-PEP may be impactful for families affected by pediatric mood disorders in the community, especially among youth with bipolar disorder and families novice to treatment. Randomized controlled trials are needed to provide more definitive evidence for the effectiveness of MF-PEP in practice settings.

Impact of Irritability and Impulsive Aggressive Behavior on Impairment and Social Functioning in Youth with Cyclothymic Disorder

OBJECTIVE

Research on adults with cyclothymic disorder (CycD) suggests that irritability and impulsive aggression (IA) are highly prevalent among this population. Less is known about whether these behaviors might also distinguish youth with CycD from youth without CycD. Additionally, little is known about how irritability and IA relate to one another, and whether they are associated with different outcomes. This study aimed to compare irritability and IA across diagnostic subtypes to determine whether CycD is uniquely associated with these behaviors, and to assess how irritability and IA relate to youth social and general functioning.

METHODS

Participants (n = 459), 11-18 years of age, were recruited from an urban community mental health center and an academic outpatient clinic; 25 had a diagnosis of CycD. Youth and caregivers completed measures of IA and irritability. Youth and caregivers also completed an assessment of youth friendship quality. Clinical interviewers assessed youth social, family, and school functioning.

RESULTS

Youth with CycD had higher scores on measures of irritability and IA than youth with nonbipolar disorders, but scores were not different from other youth with bipolar spectrum disorders. Measures of irritability and IA were correlated, but represented distinct constructs. Regression analyses indicated that irritability was related to friendship quality (p < 0.005). Both IA and irritability were related to social impairment (ps < 0.05-0.0005) and Child Global Assessment Scale (C-GAS) scores (ps = 0.05-0.005). CycD diagnosis was associated with poorer caregiver-rated friendship quality and social functioning (ps < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

We found that irritability and aggression were more severe among youth with CycD than among youth with nonbipolar diagnoses, but did not differ across bipolar disorder subtypes. Among youth seeking treatment for mental illness, irritability and IA are prevalent and nonspecific. Irritability and IA were uniquely related to our outcomes of social and general functioning, suggesting that it is worthwhile to assess each separately, in order to broaden our understanding of the characteristics and correlates of each.

Characterizing exercise-induced feelings after one bout of exercise among adolescents with and without bipolar disorder

BACKGROUND

Exercise may be a practical, non-pharmacological strategy for symptom and health management for adolescents with bipolar disorder (BD). The purpose of this study was to determine if adolescents with BD experience changes in exercise-induced feelings from one bout of exercise similar to their otherwise healthy peers.

METHODS

Thirty-two adolescents with BD (Age (SD)=16.91 (1.4)) and 31 healthy adolescents (Age (SD)=15.68 (1.76)) completed the Exercise-Induced Feeling Inventory (EFI) before and after a 20-min bout of moderate intensity exercise (heart rate goal of 60-80% of the age estimated maximum [220 - 0.7*age]) on a cycle ergometer. Repeated-Measures ANCOVA was conducted on the four EFI subscales, controlling for age and BMI.

RESULTS

There were no significant between-group differences on any subscales. An increase in Physical Exhaustion was of negligible effect size in both groups (BD: d=0.05;

CONTROL

d=0.16). There was an improvement in Revitalization (BD: d=0.49;

CONTROL

d=0.61) and a reduction in Tranquility (BD: d=-0.33;

CONTROL

d=-0.29) post-exercise of moderate and small effect size, respectively. The control group reported an increase in Positive Engagement that was of small-to-medium effect size, (d=0.41) with negligible change in the BD group (d=0.17). Healthy adolescents reported a significantly greater tolerance for high intensity exercise than adolescents with BD.

LIMITATIONS

Emotions were only assessed at two time points.

CONCLUSIONS

Adolescents with BD experience similar exercise-induced emotional benefits as their healthy peers. Experimental research is needed to examine the role of exercise as a strategy to regulate mood-related symptoms.

Long-term Safety of Asenapine in Pediatric Patients Diagnosed With Bipolar I Disorder: A 50-Week Open-Label, Flexible-Dose Trial

BACKGROUND

Sublingually administered asenapine was approved in March 2015 by the United States Food and Drug Administration for patients aged 10-17 years with an acute manic or mixed episode associated with bipolar I disorder (BP-1). This is the first long-term safety and tolerability study of asenapine in this population.

METHODS

Following the 3-week randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of patients aged 10-17 years with an acute manic or mixed episode associated with BP-1, patients could enroll in this flexible-dose (2.5-10 mg twice daily) open-label extension (OLE) study for an additional 50 weeks, conducted from August 2011 to September 2014 in the United States and Russia. Treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) were assessed and predefined TEAEs of interest reported in addition to metabolic and anthropometric parameters. The Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS) and Clinical Global Impressions scale in bipolar illness (CGI-BP) were used to assess effectiveness.

RESULTS

A total of 321 patients (lead-in study treatment: placebo, n = 80; asenapine, n = 241) were included; 267 (83.2 %) reported one or more TEAE and 181 (56.4 %) discontinued early, 48 (15.0 %) due to TEAEs. Of the predefined TEAEs of interest, combined somnolence/sedation/hypersomnia occurred most frequently (42.4 %) followed by oral hypoesthesia/dysgeusia (7.5 %). In total, 109 (34.8 %) patients experienced clinically significant weight gain (≥7 % increase). No clinically meaningful changes were noted for laboratory parameters measured. Eighteen patients met the criteria for new-onset metabolic syndrome (MBS) post-baseline during the extension study, whereas 10 patients who met MBS criteria at baseline did not meet MBS criteria at endpoint. A total of 12 patients met MBS at baseline and endpoint. Mean change in YMRS total score from OLE baseline was -9.2 points at week 50, and change in CGI-BP severity overall score was similar among all treatment groups (those who initially received asenapine and those who initially received placebo). After 26 weeks of treatment in the OLE, 79.2 % of patients were classified as YMRS 50 % responders relative to acute trial baseline.

CONCLUSIONS

Asenapine was generally well tolerated in pediatric patients with BP-1 during ≤50 weeks of open-label treatment; among predefined TEAEs of interest, the combination of somnolence/sedation/hypersomnia was the most common. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT01349907.

Olanzapine/Fluoxetine combination in children and adolescents with bipolar I depression: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial

OBJECTIVE

To assess the efficacy and safety of olanzapine/fluoxetine combination (OFC) for the acute treatment of bipolar depression in children and adolescents.

METHOD

Patients 10 to 17 years of age with bipolar I disorder (BP-I), depressed episode, baseline Children's Depression Rating Scale-Revised (CDRS-R) total score ≥40, Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS) total score ≤15, and YMRS-item 1 ≤2 were randomized to OFC (6/25-12/50 mg/day olanzapine/fluoxetine; n = 170) or placebo (n = 85) for up to 8 weeks of double-blind treatment. The primary efficacy measure was mean change in CDRS-R using mixed-model repeated-measures methodology.

RESULTS

Baseline-to-week-8 least-squares mean change in CDRS-R total score was greater for OFC-treated patients than for placebo-treated patients (-28.4 versus -23.4, p = .003; effect size = .46), with between-group differences statistically significant at week 1 (p = .02) and all subsequent visits (all p < .01). Rates of and times to response and remission were statistically significantly greater for OFC- than for placebo-treated patients. The most frequent treatment-emergent adverse events in the OFC group were weight gain, increased appetite, and somnolence. Mean weight gain at patient's endpoint was significantly greater for OFC- than for placebo-treated patients (4.4 kg versus 0.5 kg, p < .001). Treatment-emergent hyperlipidemia was very common among OFC-treated patients. Abnormal increases in hepatic analytes, prolactin, and corrected QT interval (QTc) were also common or very common but generally not clinically significant.

CONCLUSION

In this study, OFC was superior to placebo, and has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the acute treatment of bipolar I depression in patients 10 to 17 years of age. Benefits should be weighed against the risk of adverse events, particularly weight gain and hyperlipidemia. Clinical trial registration information-A Study for Assessing Treatment of Patients Ages 10-17 with Bipolar Depression; http://clinicaltrials.gov; NCT00844857.

Risk factors for suicide in bipolar disorder: a systematic review

BACKGROUND

Bipolar disorder confers the highest risk of suicide among major psychological disorders. The risk factors associated with bipolar disorder and suicide exist and are relevant to clinicians and researchers.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of the present study was to conduct a systematic review of articles regarding the suicide risk factors in bipolar disorder.

METHODS

A systematic review of articles on suicide risk factors in bipolar disorder, published from January 1, 2010 to April 05, 2014, on SCOPUS and PUBMED databases was carried out. Search terms were "Suicide" (medical subject headings [MeSH]), "Risk factors" (MeSH), and "Bipolar" (keyword). Of the 220 retrieved studies, 42 met the eligibility criteria.

RESULTS

Bipolar disorder is associated with an increased rate death by suicide which contributes to overall mortality rates. Studies covered a wide range of aspects regarding suicide risk factors in bipolar disorder, such as risk factors associated to Sociodemographic conditions, Biological characteristics, Drugs Relationships, Psychological Factors, Genetic Compound, Religious and Spirituals conditions. Recent scientific literature regarding the suicide risk factors in bipolar disorder converge to, directly or indirectly, highlight the negative impacts of risk factors to the affected population quality of life.

CONCLUSION

This review demonstrated that Bipolar disorders commonly leads to other psychiatric disorders and co-morbidities involving risk of suicide. Thus the risk factors are relevant to have a better diagnosis and prognosis of BD cases involving risk of suicide.

Profile of aripiprazole in the treatment of bipolar disorder in children and adolescents

Bipolar disorder is a pernicious illness. Compared with the later-onset form, early onset bipolar disorder is associated with worse psychosocial outcomes, and is characterized by rapid cycling and increased risks of substance abuse and suicide attempts. Controlling mood episodes and preventing relapse in this group of pediatric patients requires careful treatment. Here, we review the effectiveness of aripiprazole for bipolar disorder in children and adolescents, with discussion of this drug's unique pharmacological profile and various clinical study outcomes. Aripiprazole acts as a serotonin 5-HT2A receptor antagonist, as well as a partial agonist of the serotonin 5-HT1A and dopamine D2 receptors. It can be safely used in children and adolescents, as it is highly tolerated and shows lower rates of the side effects typically observed with other antipsychotic drugs, including sedation, weight gain, hyperprolactinemia, and extrapyramidal syndrome. The presently reviewed randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and non-RCTs generally reported aripiprazole to be effective and well-tolerated in children and adolescents with bipolar disorder. However, due to the limited number of RCTs, the present conclusions must be evaluated cautiously. Furthermore, aripiprazole cannot yet be considered a preferred treatment for children and adolescents with bipolar disorder, as there is not yet evidence that aripiprazole shows greater efficacy compared to other second-generation antipsychotics. Additional data are needed from future head-to-head comparison studies.

Use of outpatient mental health services among children of different ages: are younger children more seriously ill?

OBJECTIVE

The study compared use of specialty outpatient mental services among children ages six and seven and children ages eight through 12 and investigated predictors of differences in the patterns of service use by age.

METHODS

Eligible children were first-time patients of clinics participating in the Longitudinal Assessment of Manic Symptoms who were between ages six and 12 and who were English speaking. Children who screened positive for symptoms of mania (N=1,124) were invited to participate, and families of 621 (55%) children consented. A matched sample of 86 children without a positive screen for mania also participated. Baseline interviews assessed sociodemographic characteristics of the child and family and the child's functioning, diagnoses, and use of services.

RESULTS

Of the 707 children, 30% were younger, and 50% used multiple types of specialty outpatient services. Younger children were more likely to be male, have Medicaid insurance, and have two parents with mental health problems. Use of multiple types of services was related to study site, high depression scores, fewer minor health issues, and fewer stressful life events among younger children and with parental stress, primary diagnosis, poor functioning, and not living with both parents among older children. Younger children were much more likely than older children to have used services before age six.

CONCLUSIONS

Younger children showed very early use of multiple types of services for mental health problems and a pattern of persistent impairment despite long-standing use of services. These data argue strongly for focusing on emotional and behavioral issues among young children.

Treatment development and feasibility study of family-focused treatment for adolescents with bipolar disorder and comorbid substance use disorders

BACKGROUND

Comorbid substance use disorders (SUD) are associated with increased illness severity and functional impairment among adolescents with bipolar disorder (BD). Previous psychosocial treatment studies have excluded adolescents with both BD and SUD. Studies suggest that integrated interventions are optimal for adults with BD and SUD.

METHODS

We modified family-focused treatment for adolescents with BD (FFT-A) in order to explicitly target comorbid SUD (FFT-SUD). Ten adolescents with BD who had both SUD and an exacerbation of manic, depressed, or mixed symptoms within the last 3 months were enrolled. FFT-SUD was offered as an adjunct to pharmacotherapy, with a target of 21 sessions over 12 months of treatment. The FFT- SUD manual was iteratively modified to integrate a concurrent focus on SUD.

RESULTS

Six subjects completed a mid-treatment 6-month assessment (after a mean of 16 sessions was completed). Of the 10 subjects, 3 dropped out early (after ≤1 session); in the case of each of these subjects, the participating parent had active SUD. No other subjects in the study had a parent with active SUD. Preliminary findings suggested significant reductions in manic symptoms and depressive symptoms and improved global functioning in the subjects who completed 6 months of treatment. Reduction in cannabis use was modest and did not reach significance. Limitations. Limitations included a small sample, open treatment, concurrent medications, and no control group.

CONCLUSIONS

These preliminary findings suggest that FFT-SUD is a feasible intervention, particularly for youth without parental SUD. FFT-SUD may be effective in treating mood symptoms, particularly depression, despite modest reductions in substance use. Integrating motivation enhancing strategies may augment the effect of this intervention on substance use. Additional strategies, such as targeting parental substance use, may prevent early attrition.

Multimodal emotion integration in bipolar disorder: an investigation of involuntary cross-modal influences between facial and prosodic channels

The ability to integrate information from different sensory channels is a vital process that serves to facilitate perceptual decoding in times of unimodal ambiguity. Despite its relevance to psychosocial functioning, multimodal integration of emotional information across facial and prosodic modes has not been addressed in bipolar disorder (BD). In light of this paucity of research we investigated multimodal processing in a BD cohort using a focused attention paradigm. Fifty BD patients and 52 healthy controls completed a task assessing the cross-modal influence of emotional prosody on facial emotion recognition across congruent and incongruent facial and prosodic conditions, where attention was directed to the facial channel. There were no differences in multi-modal integration between groups at the level of accuracy, but differences were evident at the level of response time; emotional prosody biased facial recognition latencies in the control group only, where a fourfold increase in response times was evident between congruent and incongruent conditions relative to patients. The results of this study indicate that the automatic process of integrating multimodal information from facial and prosodic sensory channels is delayed in BD. Given that interpersonal communication usually occurs in real time, these results have implications for social functioning in the disorder.

Psychopathological features during childhood and adolescence among adult bipolar patients: a retrospective study

OBJECTIVE

There are still several concerns regarding the inconsistency in the diagnosis of Bipolar Disorder (BD) in children and adolescents. This study reviews the symptoms of youth admitted to The University of Texas Harris County Psychiatric Center (UT-HCPC) prior to a confirmed diagnosis of BD to elucidate patterns and target symptoms which may facilitate early recognition of BD.

METHODS

This is a retrospective review of charts of adult patients with a discharge diagnosis of BD for three consecutive admissions who were also admitted to UT-HCPC as children or adolescents (N=26). The Kiddie SADS was completed based on each patient's first admission as a child and last admission as an adult.

RESULTS

Most of the symptoms found in adult BD were present in the child/adolescent subjects at equivalent rates, except for mood elevation, which was less common during childhood and adolescence. In spite of the psychopathological similarity, only 6 (23%) of the subjects were diagnosed with BD as youth.

CONCLUSION

BD is poorly diagnosed among children and adolescents. Difficulties in the assessment of the youth, as well as particularities in the psychopathology of mood among children and adolescents may account for the low diagnostic rate.

Circadian Phase Preference in Pediatric Bipolar Disorder

Pediatric bipolar disorder (BD) rates have notably increased over the past three decades. Given the significant morbidity and mortality associated with BD, efforts are needed to identify factors useful in earlier detection to help address this serious public health concern. Sleep is particularly important to consider given the sequelae of disrupted sleep on normative functioning and that sleep is included in diagnostic criteria for both Major Depressive and Manic Episodes. Here, we examine one component of sleep—i.e., circadian phase preference with the behavioral construct of morningness/eveningness (M/E). In comparing 30 BD and 45 typically developing control (TDC) participants, ages 7–17 years, on the Morningness-Eveningness Scale for Children (MESC), no between-group differences emerged. Similar results were found when comparing three groups (BD−ADHD; BD+ADHD; TDC). Consistent with data available on circadian phase preference in adults with BD, however, we found that BD adolescents, ages 13 years and older, endorsed significantly greater eveningness compared to their TDC peers. While the current findings are limited by reliance on subjective report and the high-rate of comorbid ADHD among the BD group, this finding that BD teens demonstrate an exaggerated shift towards eveningness than would be developmentally expected is important. Future studies should compare the circadian rhythms across the lifespan for individuals diagnosed with BD, as well as identify the point at which BD youth part ways with their healthy peers in terms of phase preference. In addition, given our BD sample was overall euthymic, it may be that M/E is more state vs. trait specific in latency age youth. Further work would benefit from assessing circadian functioning using a combination of rating forms and laboratory-based measures. Improved understanding of sleep in BD may identify behavioral targets for inclusion in prevention and intervention protocols.

Phenomenological predictors of psychosocial function in bipolar disorder: is there evidence that social cognitive and emotion regulation abnormalities contribute?

OBJECTIVES

Neurocognitive ability and mood have often been discussed as contributing mechanisms to the severe psychosocial dysfunction experienced in bipolar disorder (BD). In contrast, there has been little discussion on the contribution of social cognition or emotion regulation. This paper aims to assert a potential role for these constructs in psychosocial functioning in BD, with an overarching goal to highlight the necessary importance of considering them in future research examining psychosocial outcomes in the disorder.

METHODS

This paper provides a theoretical synthesis of available and indirect evidence for an influence of (1) social cognition and (2) emotion regulation on psychosocial functioning; it acknowledges important clinical questions that need addressing, and discusses how current research might be translated to improve the treatment of psychosocial dysfunction in BD.

RESULTS

Given their assumed roles in facilitating social interactions and modulating behaviours, it is certainly plausible that abnormalities in social cognition and emotion regulation are detrimental to psychosocial functioning. Currently, there is only minimal direct evidence examining their influence, although existing BD studies are preliminarily supportive of relationships between these constructs.

CONCLUSIONS

There are reasonable theoretical grounds, supported by indirect and preliminary evidence, to suggest that social cognition and emotion regulation may be important in the prediction of psychosocial outcome in BD. However, this proposition is limited by the paucity of empirical research directly examining this matter.

Aripiprazole for the treatment and prevention of acute manic and mixed episodes in bipolar I disorder in children and adolescents: a NICE single technology appraisal

As part of its single technology process, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) invited the manufacturers of aripiprazole (Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co. and Bristol Myers Squibb) to submit evidence of the clinical and cost effectiveness of aripiprazole for the treatment and prevention of acute manic and mixed episodes in bipolar I disorder in children and adolescents. The School of Health and Related Research Technology Appraisal Group at the University of Sheffield was commissioned to act as the independent Evidence Review Group (ERG). The ERG produced a critical review of the evidence for the clinical and cost effectiveness of the technology, based upon the manufacturers' submission to NICE. The evidence, which was derived mainly from a double-blind, phase III, placebo-controlled trial of aripiprazole in patients aged 10-17 years, showed that aripiprazole performed significantly better than placebo in reducing mania according to the primary outcome measurement (the Young Mania Rating Scale at 4 weeks). Safety outcomes indicated that aripiprazole was significantly more likely to cause extrapyramidal symptoms and somnolence than placebo. The manufacturers also presented a network meta-analysis of aripiprazole versus other atypical antipsychotics commonly used to treat manic episodes (olanzapine, quetiapine and risperidone) to show that aripiprazole performed similarly to the comparator drugs in terms of efficacy and safety. Aripiprazole was demonstrated to perform better in safety outcomes of (1) less weight gain than olanzapine and quetiapine; and (2) less prolactin increase than olanzapine, quetiapine and risperidone. Results from the manufacturers' economic evaluation showed that use of aripiprazole second-line dominated all of the other treatment strategies that were considered. However, there was considerable uncertainty in this result, and clinical advisors indicated that the actual treatment strategy employed in practice is likely to be dependent upon the patient's characteristics. The ERG demonstrated that if this personalised medicine resulted in improved cost effectiveness for any of the other treatment strategies, then they had the potential to dominate use of aripiprazole second-line. In conclusion, whilst a strategy including aripiprazole appeared to be cost effective relative to a strategy without it, there was not robust enough evidence to recommend a specific place for aripiprazole within the treatment pathway.

What goes up must come down: the burden of bipolar depression in youth

BACKGROUND

In the pediatric bipolar disorder literature, mania has eclipsed depression as the mood state of most interest. Though depressive episodes tend to be more prevalent and persisting than manic episodes, research about the associated consequences is limited. The goal of the present study was to compare the influences of depressive and manic symptoms on domains of functioning in which youth with bipolar disorder often demonstrate deficits.

METHOD

Youth meeting DSM-IV-TR criteria for bipolar spectrum disorders (I, II, and NOS) between the ages of seven and 13 were recruited from a clinic in a large Midwestern city (N=54). Both parent and clinician report of manic and depressive symptoms were used in regression analyses to determine how each set of symptoms was related to child functioning.

RESULTS

Parent-rated child depression symptoms were associated with problem behaviors (p<0.05), and lower quality of life (p<0.001). Clinician-rated child depression was associated with greater psychiatric illness (p<0.05), lower child self-concept (p<0.001), lower quality of life (p<0.05), hopelessness (p<0.05), and suicidal ideation (p<0.05). Parent-rated mania was associated with better self-esteem (p<0.05) and physical wellbeing (p<0.05). Clinician-rated mania was associated with greater psychiatric illness (p<0.05) and physical wellbeing (p<0.05).

LIMITATIONS

The specific outcomes predicted by parent and clinician-rated symptoms vary. Though the overall story told--that bipolar depression is associated with significant impairment in youth--is consistent, further research is necessary to more fully understand the impact of each mood state.

CONCLUSION

Mania is undoubtedly destructive, but this study provides evidence to suggest that depression may be more deleterious to youths' psychosocial functioning and quality of life; more attention to understanding and ameliorating the effects of bipolar depression on youth is warranted.

Evidence-based psychosocial treatments for child and adolescent bipolar spectrum disorders

Pediatric bipolar spectrum disorders (BPSDs) are serious conditions associated with morbidity and mortality. Although most treatment research has examined pharmacotherapy for pediatric BPSDs, growing literature suggests that psychosocial interventions are also important to provide families with an understanding of symptoms, course, and treatment of BPSDs; teach youth and parents methods for coping with symptoms (e.g., problem solving, communication, emotion regulation, cognitive-behavioral skills); and prevent relapse. Thirteen psychosocial intervention trials for pediatric BPSDs were identified via a comprehensive literature search and evaluated according to the Task Force on the Promotion and Dissemination of Psychological Procedures guidelines. All interventions were examined adjunctive to pharmacotherapy and/or treatment as usual (TAU). No well-established or questionably efficacious treatments were identified. Family psychoeducation plus skill building was probably efficacious (i.e., Multi-Family Psychoeducational Psychotherapy, Family-Focused Treatment); cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) was possibly efficacious. Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) and interpersonal and social rhythm therapy (IPSRT) were experimental. Limited research precluded subdivision of treatments by format and age. Only single- and multiple-family psychoeducation plus skill building and CBT were evaluated with children. Only single-family psychoeducation plus skill building and DBT, and individual (commonly with limited familial involvement) CBT and IPSRT were evaluated with adolescents. In conclusion, psychosocial interventions that involve families, psychoeducation, and skill building may offer added benefit to pharmacotherapy and/or other TAU. Limitations of current research include few outcome studies, small samples, and failure to use stringent control conditions or randomization. The review concludes with a discussion of mediators and moderators, recommendations for best practice, and suggestions for future research.

The 7 up 7 down inventory: a 14-item measure of manic and depressive tendencies carved from the General Behavior Inventory

The aim of this study was to develop and validate manic and depressive scales carved from the full-length General Behavior Inventory (GBI). The brief version was designed to be applicable for youths and adults and to improve separation between mania and depression dimensions. Data came from 9 studies (2 youth clinical samples, aggregate N = 738, and 7 nonclinical adult samples, aggregate N = 1,756). Items with high factor loadings on the 2 extracted dimensions of mania and depression were identified from both data sets, and final item selection was based on internal reliability criteria. Confirmatory factor analyses described the 2-factor model's fit. Criterion validity was compared between mania and depression scales, and with the full-length GBI scales. For both mania and depression factors, 7 items produced a psychometrically adequate measure applicable across both aggregate samples. Internal reliability of the Mania scale was .81 (youth) and .83 (adult) and for Depression was .93 (youth) and .95 (adult). By design, the brief scales were less strongly correlated with each other than were the original GBI scales. Construct validity of the new instrument was supported in observed discriminant and convergent relationships with external correlates and discrimination of diagnostic groups. The new brief GBI, the 7 Up 7 Down Inventory, demonstrates sound psychometric properties across a wide age range, showing expected relationships with external correlates. The new instrument provides a clearer separation of manic and depressive tendencies than the original. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved).

Future directions for research on youth with bipolar spectrum disorders

The past 25 years has witnessed significant advances in our knowledge of Bipolar Spectrum Disorders (BPSD) in youth. Cross-sectional and longitudinal studies are clarifying the unique features of its pediatric presentation, including continuities and discontinuities across the spectrum of severity. Advances have been made, both in the pharmacological and psychological management of BPSD in youth. Current investigations may ultimately shed light on new treatment strategies. Future research is anticipated to be influenced by NIMH's Research Domain Criteria (RDoC). With this article, we summarize what is currently known about the basic phenomenology of pediatric BPSD, its clinical course, assessment and treatment, beginning with a summary of the major studies that have shed light on the topic. Next, we present a tally and content review of current research as an indicator of trends for the future. Then, we describe what we believe are important future directions for research. Finally, we conclude with implications for contemporary clinicians and researchers.

Bipolar disorder in children: assessment in general pediatric practice

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Pediatricians are increasingly confronted with the mental health needs of children. Given the unanticipated role, well-described diagnostic guidelines and treatment protocols are essential: but often lacking. Identification of bipolar disorder in children, a condition which lacks diagnostic criteria consensus, presents a particular challenge. Despite this, it is generally regarded as a condition associated with considerable morbidity and mortality. Extended delays to treatment, typical for the condition, contribute to significantly reduced adult functionality.

RECENT FINDINGS

Most children with bipolar disorder exhibit a subsyndromal course of illness. This has prompted many investigative groups to explore whether such a presentation is developmental or unique. Despite the ongoing debate, there has been a rapid increase in the rate of diagnoses. Concurrently, breakthroughs in neurology, neuroimaging, and genetics have called into question the existing conceptually based psychiatric constructs altogether. New research approaches which reflect these advances are more likely to lead to evidence-based diagnosis and treatment. Such an example is a novel phenotype called Fear of Harm (FOH). A new research perspective resulted in the unification of a broad range of symptoms from bipolar disorder as well as many of the co-occurring disorders. When considered as a whole, the syndrome maps on to a known neural pathway and has led investigators to a putative biomarker.

SUMMARY

If given the right information and tools, pediatricians are uniquely positioned to interrupt the decline caused by mental illnesses. Importantly, the newly defined FOH syndrome includes clinical symptoms which are frequently first brought to the attention of pediatricians. Although these symptoms are not exclusive to the mood disorder, they could alert pediatricians to the need for further evaluation.

Health-related quality of life among children with mental disorders: a systematic review

PURPOSE

To systematically review studies about the quality of life (QOL) of children with various mental disorders relative to healthy controls and to describe limitations in these studies.

METHODS

Relevant articles were searched using different databases, by checking reference lists and contacting experts. We included articles that either compared children with mental disorders to healthy controls/norm values or made such a comparison possible.

RESULTS

Sixteen out of 4,560 articles met the pre-defined inclusion criteria. These studies revealed that the QOL of children with various mental disorders is compromised across multiple domains. The largest effect sizes were found for psychosocial and family-related domains and for the total QOL score, whereas physical domains generally were less affected. The most important limitations in the existing literature include the lack of study samples drawn from the general population, the failure to use self-ratings, not considering item overlap between measuring QOL and assessing for the presence of a particular mental disorder, and not determining whether the children were receiving medication for their mental disorder.

CONCLUSIONS

Children with mental disorders experience a considerable reduction in QOL across various domains. Research studies that avoid previous limitations are crucial to fill existing knowledge gaps.