COBY is an acronym for the Course and Outcome of Bipolar Illness in Youth, a large research effort supported by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). Research in COBY has been conducted in a number of locations and by different research teams. The results of these continuing studies have led to a significantly better understanding of bipolar disorder in kids. Findings include evidence that bipolar disorder does exist in children and, in some cases, looks different then bipolar disorder in adults.
Children with Bipolar Disorder Experience:
- Mood problems, which began earlier in life than previously believed
- Other psychiatric disorders in the majority of cases
- Psychosis, which can be a symptom of several mental disorders, including bipolar disorder
- Family members with mood and other psychiatric disorders
- A progression of symptoms as they age, leading from a diagnosis of bipolar disorder not otherwise specified (NOS) to bipolar I disorder
- A severe form of bipolar disorder if their age of onset is early, if they come from a low socio-economic status and if they have psychotic symptoms
- Irritable-only mania in some cases
- Subsyndromal symptoms
- Episodes that can last extended periods of time – months or even years
- Rapid cycling, with the depressive side being the classic symptoms of depression, or mixed episodes that include both depressive and manic symptoms
Example Publications from COBY:
Birmaher, B. et al. (2006). Clinical course of children and adolescents with bipolar spectrum disorders. Archives of General Psychiatry, 63, 175-183.Birmaher, B. et al. (2009). Four-year longitudinal course of children and adolescents with bipolar spectrum disorders: The course and outcome of bipolar youth (COBY) study. American Journal of Psychiatry, 166, 795-804.
Hunt, J. et al. (2009). Irritability without elation in a large bipolar youth sample: Frequency and clinical description. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 48, 730-739.
NIMH. (2006). Largest Study to Date on Pediatric Bipolar Disorder Describes Disease Characteristics and Short-Term Outcomes.
