Current DSM-IV Criteria For The Diagnosis Of Childhood-Onset Bipolar Disorder (COBPD)

At least a one-week period of persistently elated, expansive or irritable mood, plus three or four of the following symptoms:

• inflated self-esteem/grandiosity
• decreased need for sleep
• rapid or pressured speech
• flight of ideas
• distractibility
• increased goal directed activity
• excessive involvement in pleasurable activities that have a high potential for painful consequences.

EDITOR'S NOTE: A number of clinical investigations have established that the current criteria for bipolar disorder in the pediatric age group are inadequate, and are missing at least one key element that is commonplace in the clinical presentation of the disorder. Accurate definition of ultradian or ultra-ultra rapid-cycling patterns in COBPD have obvious implications for diagnosis. Most clinical investigators who study this disorder would likely support the view that this additional criteria be added to the diagnostic description of COBPD.

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