Prevalence of bipolar disorder in children and adolescents with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Background: Some research suggests that children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have a higher than expected risk of bipolar affective disorder. No study has examined the prevalence of bipolar disorder in a UK sample of children with ADHD.

Aims: To examine the prevalence of bipolar disorder in children diagnosed with ADHD or hyperkinetic disorder.

Method: Psychopathology symptoms and diagnoses of bipolar disorder were assessed in 200 young people with ADHD (170 male, 30 female; age 6-18 years, mean 11.15, s.d. = 2.95). Rates of current bipolar disorder symptoms and diagnoses are reported. A family history of bipolar disorder in parents and siblings was also recorded.

Results: Only one child, a 9-year-old boy, met diagnostic criteria for both ICD-10 hypomania and DSM-IV bipolar disorder not otherwise specified.

Conclusions: In a UK sample of children with ADHD a current diagnosis of bipolar disorder was uncommon.