THE CHILDHOOD-ONSET BIPOLAR DISORDER (CBDT) SCREENING TEST

The CBDT is a 200-item test designed to be completed by parents by a social worker, by staff members or by therapists working closely with a child who has behavior problems. It has a Fake Bad scale, and six scales designed to help clinicians to differentiate between the major behavior disorders of childhood.

The CBDT has been researched using a mixed group of over 2,000 children: Those without any known problems; those with behavior problems, but who haven't been traumatized; and those who have been traumatized, and who also have mild to severe behavior problems. It has excellent validity and reliability findings that are reported on in detail in its manual, as are the instructions for how to administer and score it, and how to interpret its results. The Fake Bad scale helps clinicians to determine if the responder is exaggerating the severity of a child's problems; is overwhelmed by a child's problems, and so needs a break from the child; and/or if the child has symptoms that may indicate that a Psychotic Disorder is present (research has shown that about 40% of traumatized children and about 50% of children with Childhood Bipolar Disorder (CBD) have significant problems with psychotic thinning). The CBDT also indicates if further testing is needed to clarify if psychotic thinking is present.

The CBDT test comes complete with 10 questionnaires; with 50 Answer Sheets, 50 Scoring Sheets, and 50 Optional Scale Scoring Sheets; ; the CBDT Manual; and a set of scoring templates to assist with scoring and interpretation of the results. Hundreds of clinicians have used the CBDT (formerly called the "Childhood-Onset Bipolar Disorder (COBD) Screening Test") over the past five years, and have found it to be an extremely useful test in helping them with the differential diagnosis of the behavior problems that children have, and these clinicians have strongly recommended this test to their colleagues. The CBDT is designed to be used by professionals with at least a Master's Degree in Counseling, Psychology, Social Work, Nursing, School Psychology, or a related field. It takes 45-60 minutes to complete, and 15-30 minutes for clinicians to score.