Objective-An important question in pediatric bipolar research is whether marked nonepisodic irritability is a manifestation of bipolar disorder in youth. This study tests the hypothesis that youth with severe mood dysregulation (SMD), a category created for the purpose of studying children presenting with severe nonepisodic irritability, will be significantly less likely to develop (hypo-)manic or mixed episodes over time than will youth with bipolar disorder (BD). Method-Patients with SMD (N = 84) and narrowly defined BD (N = 93) at baseline were followed up in 6-monthly intervals using the relevant K-SADS modules to ascertain (hypo-)manic or mixed episodes.Results-Only one of 84 SMD subjects (1/84 [1.2%]; 95% confidence interval CI = 0.0003 to 0.064) experienced a (hypo-)manic or mixed episode during the study (median follow-up = 28.7 months). The frequency of such episodes was more than 50 times higher in those with narrowly defined BD (58/93 [62.4%]; 95% CI 0.52 to 0.72).Conclusions-These data suggest that, over an approximately 2-year follow-up period, youth with SMD are unlikely to develop (hypo-)manic or mixed episodes. Keywords bipolar disorder; pediatric; severe mood dysregulation; irritability; ADHD In American psychiatric clinics and inpatient settings, dramatic increases in the rates of diagnosis of pediatric bipolar disorder (BD) have been documented over the past decade, 1,2 with a concomitant increase in prescription rates for antipsychotic medication. 3 This rapid increase in the diagnosis of pediatric BD has coincided with the contention that the clinical presentation of BD differs between children and adults. 4,5 The debate regarding the pediatric presentation of BD is complex. One important aspect of it has been the suggestion that marked irritability, even when it does not constitute an episodic change from baseline, is a manifestation of BD in youth. 4,6,7 To provide a framework for research on whether irritable children without distinct manic episodes have a developmental presentation of BD, we operationalized 8 a clinical syndrome, severe mood dysregulation (SMD), designed to capture chronically irritable children whose diagnostic status is in doubt. This paper uses a longitudinal sample to investigate the extent to which subjects with SMD develop episodes of (hypo-)mania, compared to youth with narrowly defined BD.The criteria for SMD require a persistent, nonepisodic clinical presentation of negatively valenced mood with frequent and impairing anger outbursts, combined with at least three of the "B" criteria of mania (pressured speech, agitation, insomnia, and flight of ideas/racing thoughts) and one (distractibility) that is also common to ADHD. 8 A community-based follow-up study suggests that SMD is common, with a lifetime prevalence of 3.3% in youth 9 to 19 years of age. 9 Furthermore, in that sample SMD predicted depressive disorder at 7-year follow-up in youths who were 9 to 19 years old at baseline. 9 Consistent with this finding, another community-based study of nonepisod...

Adolescence represents a vulnerable developmental period for depression and an opportune time for prevention efforts. In this study, 186 adolescents with elevated depressive symptoms (M age = 14.01, SD = 1.22; 66.7% female; 32.2% racial minority) were randomized to receive either Interpersonal Psychotherapy-Adolescent Skills Training (IPT-AST; n = 95) delivered by research clinicians or group counseling (GC; n = 91) delivered by school counselors. We previously reported the short-term outcomes of this school-based randomized controlled trial: IPT-AST youth experienced significantly greater improvements in depressive symptoms and overall functioning through 6-month follow-up. Here, we present the long-term outcomes through 24 months postintervention. We examined differences in rates of change in depressive symptoms and overall functioning and differences in rates of depression diagnoses. Youth in both conditions showed significant improvements in depressive symptoms and overall functioning from baseline to 24-month follow-up, demonstrating the efficacy of school-based depression prevention programs. However, the two groups did not differ in overall rates of change or in rates of depression diagnoses from baseline to 24-month follow-up. Although IPT-AST demonstrated advantages over GC in the short term, these effects dissipated over long-term follow-up. Specifically, from 6- to 24-month follow-up, GC youth showed continued decreases in depressive symptoms, whereas IPT-AST youth showed a nonsignificant increase in symptoms. GC youth remained relatively stable in overall functioning, whereas IPT-AST youth experienced a small but statistically significant worsening in functioning. This study highlights the potential of school-based depression prevention efforts and the need for further research.

These data suggest that, over an approximately 2-year follow-up period, youth with SMD are unlikely to develop (hypo-)manic or mixed episodes.

This randomized controlled trial examined the longitudinal effects of two school-based indicated depression prevention programs on adolescents’ internalizing and externalizing symptoms, as measured by adolescents, their parents, and their teachers. One hundred eighty-six adolescents participated in this study. The average age was 14.01 (SD = 1.22) years, and the sample was 66.7% female. One third of the sample belonged to a racial minority. Youth received either Interpersonal Psychotherapy–Adolescent Skills Training or group counseling. Symptoms were assessed using adolescent, parent, and teacher reports on the Achenbach System of Empirically Based Assessment at baseline, postintervention, and 6-month follow-up. Adolescents reported the most robust effects in favor of Interpersonal Psychotherapy–Adolescent Skills Training. Adolescents in Interpersonal Psychotherapy–Adolescent Skills Training reported significantly greater reductions in internalizing symptoms through the 6-month follow-up and significantly greater reductions in externalizing symptoms during the intervention as compared to group counseling. Less robust effects were found when examining parent and teacher reports, although there was evidence of significant within-group change in parent- and teacher-reported internalizing symptoms for both interventions and significant between-group differences in teacher-reported externalizing symptoms. This study provides additional evidence supporting the efficacy of Interpersonal Psychotherapy–Adolescent Skills Training as a depression prevention program for adolescents. Interpersonal Psychotherapy– Adolescent Skills Training appears to have fast-acting effects on broadband internalizing and externalizing symptoms as reported by adolescents. This suggests that Interpersonal Psychotherapy–Adolescent Skills Training may serve as a transdiagnostic preventive intervention. Moreover, given the disparate reports of adolescents, parents, and teachers, this study demonstrates the significance of collecting information from multiple sources when possible.

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