Abstract Body

Treatment of depressive disorder differs significantly from treatment of bipolar disorder. Therefore, it is important to make an accurate assessment of depressive disorder or bipolar disorder in children who present with depressive episodes. Of course, it is important not to overlook past manic or hypomanic episodes. It is also important to avoid overdiagnosis.

It is well known that many bipolar illnesses begin with one or more depressive episodes, and a substantial proportion of individuals who initially appear to have major depressive disorder will prove, in time, to instead have a bipolar disorder. Most children with depressive episodes do not have a history of manic or hypomanic episodes. If their brain changes were not depression but manic-depressive illness, then medication for depression would not be effective. This would affect the low effectiveness of pharmacotherapy for Major Depressive Disorder in children.

While we avoid over-diagnosis, we expect to be able to accurately predict future hypomanic or manic episodes in children with depressive episodes. Our predecessors have discussed and reported on several methods for prediction. New findings also exist.

In this session, I will provide an overview of how to predict future hypomanic and manic episodes as accurately as possible for children with depressive episodes who have not had previous hypomanic or manic episodes.