Bipolar disorders in children and adolescents

Recent research has clearly demonstrated that bipolar disorder occurs during childhood and adolescence. The older the bipolar disorder adolescent is, the more the clinical features are similar to the adult type of the disorder. In younger children, in those with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and in adolescents, conduct disorders are frequently associated with bipolar disorder. Thus, the question emerges regarding whather attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder or conduct disorders may be developmental precursors of bipolar disorder or real comorbid conditions. The clarification of this issue is as important for genetic studies as it is for treatment research. Curr Opin Psychiatry 11:379-383. (C) 1998 Lippincott-Raven Publishers.