Disruptive mood dysregulation disorder

Citation:
Zepf FD, Biskup CS, Holtmann M, Runions K. Disruptive mood dysregulation disorder. In: Rey JM, editor. ACAPAP e-Textbook of Child and Adolescent Mental Health. Geneva: International Association for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Allied Professions; 2016.

Abstract:
Although irritability and temper outbursts are by no means uncommon in the young, their chronicity and intensity beyond developmental norms can prove challenging for patients, parents, and those who work with children. Severe irritability is one of the most common reasons for presentation to mental health services, and emotional and behavioral dysregulation are commonly observed amongst young people referred to services. These symptoms can be present in a range of disorders including oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), bipolar and depressive disorders. The new diagnostic category of disruptive mood dysregulation disorder (DMDD) was introduced in DSM-5 to address this problem. Although DMDD has been controversial as indexed by discussions in the media as well as among clinicians and researchers, a growing body of evidence suggests that this condition has a distinct etiology, divergent developmental outcomes, and differences in neurobiology from pediatric bipolar disorder, ADHD, and ODD.