Ja. Egeland et al., Prodromal symptoms before onset of manic-depressive disorder suggested by first hospital admission histories, J AM A CHIL, 39(10), 2000, pp. 1245-1252
Citations number
18
Categorie Soggetti
Psychiatry
Journal title
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF CHILD AND ADOLESCENT PSYCHIATRY
Objective: A priority for research on manic-depressive or bipolar I disorde
r (BPI) for children and adolescents has been to search for early predictor
s of the illness. Method: Medical record data were reviewed and systematica
lly coded for a sample of 58 adult patients (32 males/26 females) with conf
irmed diagnoses of BPI to identify prodromal features and possible patterns
of symptoms from this Amish Study. Results: The most frequently reported s
ymptoms included episodic changes in mood (depressed and irritable) and ene
rgy plus anger dyscontrol, with no significant gender differences. A progre
ssion of ages is seen for the most commonly reported symptoms prior to age
16. The time interval was 9 to 12 years between appearance of the first sym
ptoms and onset of a documented BPI syndrome. Conclusions: The data suggest
testable hypotheses about specific symptoms and behaviors that may be usef
ul for the early detection of children at highest risk for developing manic
-depressive disorder.