Child behavior checklist profiles of children and adolescents with and at high risk for developing bipolar disorder.

In order to recognize behavioral patterns in children and adolescents at risk for developing bipolar disorder, this study examined Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) profiles of bipolar offspring both with (BD group) and without ("at-risk" or AR group) bipolar disorder themselves. The BD youth had three CBCL subscale T scores > or = 70 (attention problems, delinquent behavior, and aggression) and scored significantly higher than healthy comparison youth on all CBCL subscales. AR youth did not have any T scores > or = 70; however, they scored higher than healthy comparisons in the anxiety/depression, attention problems, aggression, and withdrawal subscales. AR and BD youth differed significantly on all scales except somatic complaints and anxiety/depression.