DSM-5 Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder, Grown Up

Disruptive mood dysregulation disorder (DMDD), characterized by repeated temper tantrums and significant chronic irritability in childhood, was recently introduced in the DSM-5, in part to distinguish the syndrome from childhood bipolar disorder. The individual criteria for DMDD overlap entirely with those for oppositional defiant disorder and depression. Relying on that overlap, investigators retrospectively assessed for DMDD in 1273 individuals enrolled in a longitudinal study in North Carolina.

DMDD diagnoses were based on assessments first occurring between ages 10 and 16; further assessments occurred through age 25. Of the group, 75 met criteria for DMDD, 372 met criteria for other childhood psychiatric diagnoses, and 826 comprised non-…