Clinical and psychological assessment of children of bipolar probands

Thirty-one children (age range, 7-14 years) of 18 probands with a bipolar disorder according to Research Diagnostic Criteria were assessed on clinical and psychological measures and compared with 18 matched normal control children. The authors found higher rates of childhood psychopathology in the children of the probands than in the control children. In addition, the experimental group was characterized by 1) a pattern on the WISC-R of higher verbal than performance IQs, 2) higher ratios of color to movement determinants on the Rorschach test, and 3) an overrepresentation of left-handedness. The implications of these findings are briefly discussed.