There is a lack of scientific knowledge about the broader spectrum of hypomania in adolescence and the course over time. To investigate this, we used longitudinal data spanning from adolescence to age 31 years.
A community sample of adolescents (N=2300) was screened for depressive symptoms. Adolescents (16-17 years) with a positive screening and matched controls were interviewed with a structured diagnostic interview. A blinded follow-up assessment was conducted 15 years later, with a structured diagnostic interview covering the age span 19-31 years. Questions about treatment and family history were included.
Ninety adolescents (16-17 years) with a lifetime hypomania spectrum episode (3.9% of the total sample) were identified: 40 with fullsyndromal, 18 with brief-episode (