This Is Your Brain on Irritability: A Clinician's Guide to Understanding How We Know What We Know Now, and What We Need to Know in the Future, About Irritability in Children and Adolescents

Child Adolesc Psychiatr Clin N Am. 2021 Jul;30(3):649-666. doi: 10.1016/j.chc.2021.04.013.

Abstract

Irritability is a common reason why children and adolescents are brought for psychiatric care. Although research is advancing what is known about the underlying brain and behavior mechanisms of irritability, clinicians often are shut out of that research. This article explains some of these research methods, providing brief summaries of what is known about brain/behavior mechanisms in disorders involving irritability, including bipolar disorder, disruptive mood dysregulation disorder, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and autism spectrum disorder. Greater access to these methods may help clinicians now and in the future, with such mechanisms translated into improved care, as occurs in the treatment of childhood leukemia.

Keywords: Adolescent; Behavior; Child; Irritability; Neuroimaging.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity* / diagnosis
  • Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity* / therapy
  • Attention Deficit and Disruptive Behavior Disorders
  • Autism Spectrum Disorder* / diagnosis
  • Autism Spectrum Disorder* / therapy
  • Brain
  • Child
  • Humans
  • Irritable Mood