Characterization and Pathophysiology of Severe Mood and Behavioral Dysregulation in Children and Youth
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Summary
This study seeks to learn more about the symptoms of severe mood dysregulation in children and adolescents ages 7-17. Children and adolescents with severe mood dysregulation (SMD) display chronic anger, sadness, or irritability, as well as hyperarousal (such as insomnia, distractibility, hyperactivity) and extreme responses to frustration (such as frequent, severe temper tantrums). Researchers will describe the moods and behaviors of children with these symptoms and use specialized testing and brain imaging to learn about the brain changes associated with this disorder....
Description
Objective: Irritability is a common and impairing clinical presentation in youth. Despite its significant public health impact, the clinical course and pathophysiology of irritability remains poorly understood. Chronic and severe irritability is the primary symptom of the new DSM-5 diagnosis, disruptive mood dysregulation disorder (DMDD), is an associated symptom of other pediatric disorders including Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and can be a clinical precursor to Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and anxiety disorders. In addition, irritability is a trait distributed contin…
Eligibility
- Age range
- 7–60 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- No
* INCLUSION CRITERIA: 1. Inclusion criteria for children with DMDD, subthreshold DMDD: 1.1.1 Ages 7-17 at the time of recruitment; will be followed in the longitudinal component of the study until age 25. 1.1.2 Abnormal mood (specifically, anger, sadness, and/or irritability), present at least half of the day most days (or at least half the day at least one day per week for subthreshold), and of sufficient severity to be noticeable by people in the child's environment (e.g. parents, teachers, peers). 1.1.3 Compared to his/her peers, the child exhibits markedly increased re…
Interventions
- DrugLithium
Location
- National Institutes of Health Clinical CenterBethesda, Maryland