The Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) and the CBCL-Bipolar Phenotype Are Not Useful in Diagnosing Pediatric Bipolar Disorder

Abstract Objectives: Previous studies have suggested that the sum of Attention, Aggression, and Anxious/Depressed subscales of Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL-PBD; pediatric bipolar disorder phenotype) may be specific to pediatric bipolar disorder (BP). The purpose of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of the CBCL and CBCL-PBD to identify BP in children <12 years old. Methods: A sample of children with BP I, II, and not otherwise specified (NOS) (n = 157) ascertained through the Course and Outcome for Bipolar Disorder in Youth (COBY) study were compared with a group of children with major depressive/anxiety disorders (MDD/ANX; n = 101), disruptive behavior disorder (DBD) (n = 127), and healthy control (HC) (n = 128). The CBCL T-scores and area under the curve (AUC) scores were calculated and compared among the above-noted groups. Results: Forty one percent of BP children did not have significantly elevated CBCL-PBD scores (≥2 standard deviations [SD]). The sensitivity and specificity of CBCL-PBD ≥ 2...