بررسي شاخص هاي ابعاد و رنگ در آزمون ترسيم آدمك رنگي كودكان و نوجوانان مبتلا به اختلال دوقطبي

Size and coloring of the Draw-A-Person Test in children and adolescents with bipolar disorder

Objective(s): The aim of this study was to explore the effects of mood problems seen in bipolar disorder on size and coloring of the Draw-A-Person (DAP) Test. Material & Methods: The sample consists of 30 children and adolescents (16 male /14 female, with mean age 15.4) admitted to the Child and Adolescent Wards of the Roozbeh Psychiatric Hospital and Imam Hussein Hospital in Tehran, Iran. All subjects were inpatients and fulfilled Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder-IV (DSM-IV) criteria for bipolar disorder at the time of study. Subjects with a documented mental retardation were excluded from the study. Then DAP was administered individually. Symptoms of elevated mood, euphoria and irritability were observed in 90% of subjects; and symptoms of dysphoria were seen in 10%. Results: The size of the figure was remarkably increased in the sample group as compared with the standard data ; and was increased in male compared with female patients. But the differences did not reach significant level. Of 30 patients, 11 subjects (4 male and 7 female) used colors, while the majority (63.4%) preferred not to use color. Among the patients who used green color in their drawings, 80% had religious believes and feelings. Conclusion: The results suggest that mood problems in children and adolescents with bipolar mood disorder have not a significant effect on size and coloring of the figure on the DAP.