Manic Symptoms in Young Males with ADHD Predict Functioning But not Diagnosis After 6 Years

• NCJ Number: 200146
• Journal: Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Volume: 42 Issue: 5 Dated: May 2003 Pages: 552-560
• Author(s): Philip L. Hazell; Vaughan Carr M.D.; Terry J. Lewin; Ketrina Sly B.Sc.
• Editor(s): Mina K. Dulcan M.D.
• Date Published: May 2003
• Length: 9 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

In order to contribute to the debate on the status of juvenile mania and its association with ADHD, this article reports an examination of the persistence of manic symptoms in a sample of males first ascertained at age 9-13 years.

Abstract

The objective of this study was to compare the outcome in early adulthood of males who met criteria for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and mania, ADHD alone, or no psychiatric disorder when aged 9-13 years. The study set out to determine whether manic symptoms were persistent; whether there were new cases of mania; whether mania symptoms evolved to the classic biphasic pattern of adult bipolar disorder; and whether the presence of mania in childhood or early adolescence was associated with other adverse outcomes. The study included 151 participants in a project examining information processing in ADHD and related disorders during the years 1992-1994. Participants were assessed using computer administered DSM-IV. The data cast doubts on a link between mania symptoms associated with ADHD in childhood and bipolar disorder in late adolescence/early adulthood. In addition, mania symptoms identified in childhood were associated with ADHD also did not predict other psychiatric outcomes. These findings need to be tempered by the likelihood that young men underreport emotional problems. References