Characteristics of the child behavior checklist in adolescents with depression associated with bipolar disorder

Abstract

Background The child behavior checklist-Juvenile bipolar disorder phenotype (CBCL-JBD) has been proposed as a distinct profile specific to children and adolescents who have been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. The objective of this study was to examine whether bipolar disorder youth with depression exhibit the “CBCL-Juvenile bipolar disorder phenotype.” Methods Thirty-two adolescents, ages 12–18 years, with a depressive episode associated with bipolar I disorder were recruited, and their primary caregivers completed the CBCL. Results Only the internalizing subscale (mean=70.2, SD=9.7) and total score (mean=71.5, SD=8.9) reached clinical significance (>70). Moreover, the CBCL-JBD profile scores of our subjects (204.6, SD=27.5) did not reach clinical significance (>210). Limitations Our subjects differed demographically from those in studies that have confirmed the CBCL-Juvenile bipolar disorder phenotype with regards to sex, age and ADHD comorbidity, thus limiting the interpretability of our comparisons with other studies. Furthermore, our investigation involved a small sample size and did not include a control group, which should be addressed in future studies. Conclusions The results of our study suggest that the CBCL-JBD profile is not characteristic of depressed youth with bipolar disorder. Better assessment tools for making an accurate and efficient diagnosis of bipolar disorder are needed so that appropriate treatment can be implemented and significant morbidity and mortality are minimized.

Dysregulation in Youth with Anxiety Disorders: Relationship to Acute and 7- to 19- Year Follow-Up Outcomes of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy

“…19,21,26,33,35,38,39 Relatively few studies have used general samples 3,11,37 and one study sampled youth with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). 20 Although emotion regulation deficits in youth with non-OCD anxiety disorders have been reported, 40 the utility of the CBCL dysregulation profile (which cuts across affective, behavioral, and cognitive domains) has not been investigated in youth with anxiety disorders.…”