Do we really know how to treat a child with bipolar disorder or one with severe mood dysregulation? Is there a magic bullet?

Conclusions. Valproate, lithium, risperidone, olanzapine, aripiprazole and quetiapine remain first line treatments for acute episodes in the under 18s with BD. Their efficacy in maintenance treatment remains unclear. There is no validated treatment for SMD. It is likely that some children who are currently diagnosed with BD and DBD and possibly most children currently diagnosed with SMD will be subsumed under the proposed category in the DSM V of disruptive mood dysregulation disorder with dysphoria. PMID: 22203894 [PubMed]
Source: Depression Research and Treatment - Category: Psychiatry Tags: Depress Res Treat Source Type: research