Childhood behavior problems and bipolar disorder--relationship or coincidence?

A group of offspring at risk for Bipolar Disorder is compared to a Normal Control group whose parents had no psychiatric disorder and a group of offspring at risk for other, non-bipolar psychiatric disorder. Variables examined include childhood attention and behavior problems and psychopathology in young adulthood. Rates of childhood behavior and attention problems, and psychopathology and social/occupational impairment in young adulthood, were higher in the Bipolar Risk group than the Normal Control group, but no higher than in the non-bipolar (Combined Risk) group. Although childhood behavior and attention problems were significantly associated with other psychopathology in all three offspring groups, a unique relationship between childhood problems and young adult mood disorder was found only in the Bipolar Risk group.