CONDUCT DISORDER AND MANIA - WHAT DOES IT MEAN IN ADULTS

Objective: Because of the relationship between childhood behavior diso rders and adult substance abuse, we hypothesized that substance abusin g adult bipolars were more likely to have had behavior disorders as ch ildren than nonabusing bipolar adults. Methods: Conduct disorder (CD) symptoms in 132 bipolar adults were compared by age and presence of co morbid substance use problems using data from the Epidemiologic Catchm ent Area study. Results: Rates of CD were higher in bipolar subjects u nder age 30 (32.6%) versus those over (16.3% P<0.05). Young BPs with s ubstance use problems (SUBST) had CD rates three times those without S UBST (52% vs. 14.8%) (P < 0.01). Young subjects without mania or SUBST had CD rates of 7.75%. Conclusion: Substance abuse in bipolar adults may be more related to childhood conduct disorder than uncomplicated b ipolar disorder. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V.