Biologic markers and bipolar disease in children

The diagnosis of manic depressive or bipolar disease is difficult in adolescents. Poorly defined nosology, and a high incidence of schizophrenia-like symptoms contribute to this difficulty. The authors discuss the use of the Dexamethasone Suppression Test (DST) in the diagnosis of bipolar disease in adolescents, presenting three case studies. The existence of phase-dependent DST non-suppression is described for the first time in adolescents.