Navigating in Troubled Waters: The Developmental Roots of Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder

Wiggins et al.¹ recently used data from 3 longitudinal studies spanning preschool and early school children to form an empirically derived framework for early childhood disruptive mood dysregulation disorder (EC-DMDD), ie, a theoretical entity based on all DMDD criteria except the age at onset. The authors showed that the presence of EC-DMDD strongly predicted irritability-related syndromes at early school-ages. The most striking result is that virtually all youths with DMDD had chronic irritability in preschool years (>99%), a finding that challenges the view that DMDD cannot be diagnosed before 6 years of age. In our opinion, the developmental view on DMDD adopted by the authors is particularly welcome to address some of the nosological issues encountered with this disorder.