A Delphi consensus among experts on assessment and treatment of disruptive mood dysregulation disorder.

Objective: The aim of this study was to explore consensus among clinicians and researchers on how to assess and treat Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD).

Methods: The Delphi method was used to organize data collected from an initial sample of 23 child psychiatrists and psychologists. Three rounds of closed/open questions were needed to achieve the objective.

Development and Initial Validation of the Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder Questionnaire Among Adolescents From Clinic Settings.

Objectives: Disruptive mood dysregulation disorder (DMDD) is a new DSM-5 diagnosis. It is observed in youths and is characterized by chronic irritability and temper outbursts. This study aimed (i) to develop a brief questionnaire administered during a semi-structured interview and (ii) to assess its psychometric properties with adolescents 12-15 years old by estimating its internal consistency and its concurrent association with measures of depressive symptoms and borderline personality traits.

Are youths with disruptive mood dysregulation disorder different from youths with major depressive disorder or persistent depressive disorder?

Background: Although the disruptive mood dysregulation disorder (DMDD) was included in the depressive disorders (DD) section of the DSM-5, common and distinctive features between DMDD and the pre-existing DD (i.e., major depressive disorder, MDD, and persistent depressive disorder, PDD) received little scrutiny.

Exploratory Study of the Clinical Characteristics of Adolescent Girls with a History of Physical or Sexual Abuse Consulting in a Mood Disorder Clinic.

Objective: To examine the clinical characteristics of adolescent girls consulting in a mood disorder clinic with a history of physical or sexual abuse.

Method: A retrospective review was conducted of the charts of 55 adolescent girls consulting in a mood disorder clinic. An analysis grid was used to gather data on demographics, personal antecedents, symptoms and diagnoses.

Familial and Clinical Correlates in Depressed Adolescents with Borderline Personality Disorder Traits.

Introduction: Chart review is a low-cost, but highly informative, method to describe symptoms, treatment, and risk factors associated with borderline personality disorder (BPD) and to adapt screening and intervention to clinical reality. Previous chart review studies report more aggressiveness/anger and psychotic features in youths with BPD. They show that adverse family environment and parental psychopathology constitute important factors for BPD pathology.

Treatment Options for the Cardinal Symptoms of Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder.

Objective: DSM-5 has added a new developmentally appropriate child and adolescent mood disorder subtype called disruptive mood dysregulation disorder (DMDD). The core features of DMDD are temper outbursts (manifested by either verbal rages and/or physical aggression) and unrelenting irritability or anger. Currently, the literature is lacking a thorough review of the possible treatment options for the cardinal symptoms constituting DMDD.

Sleep-Wake Patterns of Adolescents with Borderline Personality Disorder and Bipolar Disorder.

Sleep-wake patterns are rarely examined in adolescents with borderline personality disorder (BPD) or bipolar disorder (BD). Within a developmental perspective, this study explores the sleep-wake cycle of adolescents aged 12-17 years with BPD or BD and healthy controls (HC) during periods with and without entrainment by school/work schedules. Eighteen euthymic BPD, six euthymic BD, and 20 HC adolescents wore wrist actigraphy during nine consecutive days to assess sleep-wake patterns.

Treatment planning: A key milestone to prevent treatment dropout in adolescents with borderline personality disorder.

Objective: The aim of this study was to gain a broader appreciation of processes involved in treatment dropout in adolescents with borderline personality disorder (BPD).

Design: A constructivist grounded theory was chosen using a multiple-case research design with three embedded levels of analysis (adolescent, parent, and care setting).

Method: Theoretical sampling and the different stages of analysis specific to grounded theory were performed according to the iterative process of constant comparative analysis.

Clinical characteristics of depressed youths in child psychiatry.

Objective: To describe the clinical characteristics of depressed children and adolescents according to age groups and sex.

Methods: A retrospective chart review study was conducted on 75 youths aged 6-17 years referred for depressive disorders to child psychiatry in 2002-2003. Descriptive statistics and tests of association were completed to compare boys aged 6-11 years, boys aged 12-17 years and girls aged 12-17 years.

Is it possible to study sleep-wake patterns in adolescent borderline personality disorder? An actigraphic feasibility study.

Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is characterized by severe instability in mood, impulse control, relationships and sleep patterns, alongside with mild cognitive disturbances in some patients. Although research on adolescent BPD has developed over the last decade, little is known about circadian sleep-wake patterns in this population. Low compliance and cooperation frequently reported in these patients impede data collection.

Preliminary reliability study of the affective lability scale adapted for adolescents in a francophone clinical population.

Objective: to study the reliability of a self-questionnaire on adolescent affective instability, within a francophone clinical population.

Method: After reviewing the literature and consulting experts, the Affective Lability Scale (ALS), developed by Harvey and collaborators (1989), was selected. An anglophone and francophone version, adapted for the adolescent population, was developed.

Exploring sleep disturbances in adolescent borderline personality disorder using actigraphy: a case report.

Actigraphy has been used in clinical pediatric populations for many years, including attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder and mood disorders to characterize circadian rhythms of motor activity, and as an alternative evaluation of sleep patterns. We present a case of an adolescent presenting with borderline personality disorder (BPD) and substance dependence for whom an investigation of sleep patterns using actigraphy and a sleep diary appeared to be useful in managing the case. Actigraphy contributed to the diagnostic clarification and disconfirmed the relevance of prescribing medication to this patient for sleep problems.

Are child and adolescent responses to placebo higher in major depression than in anxiety disorders? A systematic review of placebo-controlled trials.

Background: In a previous report, we hypothesized that responses to placebo were high in child and adolescent depression because of specific psychopathological factors associated with youth major depression. The purpose of this study was to compare the placebo response rates in pharmacological trials for major depressive disorder (MDD), obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and other anxiety disorders (AD-non-OCD).

Methodology And Principal Findings: We reviewed the literature relevant to the use of psychotropic medication in children and adolescents with internalized disorders, restricting our review to double-blind studies including a placebo arm.

Challenges facing child psychiatry in Quebec at the dawn of the 21st Century.

Objectives: This study aimed to identify hospital resources by region, determine human resources by type of service and region, and describe how services generally operate in child psychiatry within the province of Quebec.

Methods: Data collection took place from May to October 2001. We sent a semistructured questionnaire to all child psychiatry service heads.