Tool May Help Predict Bipolar Disorder Onset

January 17th, 2018

A risk calculator tool may be able to help healthcare providers predict which children at high risk for bipolar disorder due to family history may develop the condition later in life, according to study results published in JAMA Psychiatry. Children of parents with bipolar disorder have a higher than average risk of developing bipolar spectrum disorder (BPSD) themselves, and early signs may be present for two to ten years before the diagnosis. However, because many of the early symptoms of BPSD also occur in other mental disorders (or in children who do not go on to develop long-term problems), identifying which children are most likely to be diagnosed with BPSD has been a major challenge.

As part of the long-term Pittsburgh Bipolar Offspring Study, lead author Danella Hafeman, MD, PhD, and her team enrolled 412 high-risk children ages 6 to 18 who had a parent diagnosed with bipolar disorder and who had not yet developed BPSD. Researchers interviewed the children at multiple time points throughout the study to assess mood and functioning and collected information about the age at which the parent with bipolar disorder first developed symptoms. The researchers found that 76 percent of the time, the risk calculator tool could tell difference between children who would go on to develop bipolar disorder in the next five years, and children who would not. The best predictors of BPSD were found to be depression, mania, anxiety, mood swings, and the age at which the parent was diagnosed with a mood disorder. Researchers hope the tool will be used in the future to better identify which at-risk children will develop BPSD, and allow for more frequent monitoring and earlier intervention.

Learn more about mental health research study opportunities for children at Pitt+Me.