Background: With the publication of DSM III, the nosology of children and adolescents' disorders has evolved differently in Francophone and Anglo-Saxon countries. We want to 1 / familiarize readers with the nosographic concepts of mood disorders and bipolar disorders in the Francophone world of Adolescent Psychiatry; 2/ highlight the major current issues of concern to both Francophone and Anglo-Saxon adolescents' psychiatrists.
Method: A review of the literature in PubMed, PsycINFO and PsycARTICLES, but also of Francophone journals or textbooks not included in these databases nor distributed outside Francophone countries.