Objective measures of activity and attention in the differential diagnosis of psychiatric disorders of childhood.

Objective measures of attention, concentration, and motor activity can be used effectively in the assessment and differential diagnosis of bipolar disorder (BD) and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children. Children with BD were evaluated using actigraphy and the McLean Motion Analysis Test (M-MAT), and the results were compared with age- and gender-matched ADHD and normative data. Actigraphy indicated decreased sleep efficiency and duration with BD, with a longer latency and increased nocturnal activity. Using M-MAT clinicians were able to detect cognitive impairment and activation in children with mania, and worse-than-normal scores on measures of attention and increased levels of activity and impulsiveness in children with BD. Thus, objective measures of attention and activity can be of assistance in the differential diagnosis of ADHD and BD.