Citation

Hafeman DM, Goldstein TR, Strober M, Merranko J, Gill MK, Liao F, Diler RS, Ryan ND, Goldstein BI, Axelson DA, Keller MB, Hunt JI, Hower H, Weinstock LM, Yen S, Birmaher B. Bipolar Disord. 2021; 23(5): 463-473.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2021, John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/bdi.13034

PMID

33340226

PMCID

PMC8213864

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: While adults with bipolar disorder (BD) often report symptoms starting in childhood, continuity of mania and/or hypomania (mania/hypomania) from childhood to adulthood has been questioned. Using longitudinal data from the Course and Outcome of Bipolar Youth (COBY) study, we assessed threshold mania/hypomania in young adults who manifested BD as youth.
METHODS: COBY is a naturalistic, longitudinal study of 446 youth with BD (84% recruited from outpatient clinics), 7-17 years old at intake, and over 11 years of follow-up. Focusing on youth with BD-I/II (n = 297), we examined adult mania/hypomania risk (>18 years old; mean 7.9 years of follow-up) according to child (<13 years old) versus adolescent (13-17 years old) onset. We next used penalized regression to test demographic and clinical predictors of young adult mania/hypomania.
RESULTS: Most participants (64%) had child-onset mania/hypomania, 57% of whom also experienced mania/hypomania in adolescence. Among those who experienced an episode in adolescence, over 40% also had mania/hypomania during adulthood; the risk did not differ according to child versus adolescent onset. In contrast, 7% with mania/hypomania in childhood, but not adolescence, experienced mania/hypomania in adulthood. Family history (of mania and suicide attempts) predicted mania/hypomania in young adulthood (p-values <0.05); age of onset was not a significant predictor. Among participants with no mania/hypomania during adulthood, 53% (105/198) still experienced subthreshold manic episodes.
DISCUSSION: We find substantial continuity across developmental stage indicating that, in this carefully characterized sample, children who experience mania/hypomania-particularly those who also experience mania/hypomania in adolescence-are likely to experience mania/hypomania in young adulthood.

Language: en

Keywords

Adolescent; Adult; bipolar disorder; Bipolar Disorder; Child; child and adolescent; Humans; hypomania; Longitudinal Studies; longitudinal study; mania; Mania; predictors; Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; Suicide, Attempted; Young Adult; young adulthood