Does Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder affect Clinical Characteristics of Mania in Children and Adolescents?

To assess the impact of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) on clinical characteristics of bipolar disorder (BPD) in hospitalized children and adolescents. Clinical characteristics of twenty 6-18 years old children and adolescents with BPD was assessed and compared in two groups of patients with or without ADHD, using K-SADS clinical interview and the clinical diagnosis of two child and adolescent psychiatrists. 35% of patients had a history of ADHD. The onset of BPD in the BPD+ADHD group was earlier. Comorbidity rates of other disorders were also higher in this group than in the group with pure ADHD. It is likely that subjects with BPD+ADHD comprise a particular subgroup of bipolar patients. In this subgroup there is a higher rate of comorbidity and a lower age of mania onset the onset of the disorder is also usually of subacute type. Therefore, ADHD may be a harbinger of bipolar disorder in these children and adolescents.