Johns Hopkins Psychiatry Guide
Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder
DEFINITION
- Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder was created to capture chronic, non-episodic irritability (persistently irritable/angry mood between outbursts) and severe recurrent temper outbursts that are grossly out of proportion to the situation and impair functioning at home, at school, or with peers.[1]
- Introduced in DSM-5 to reduce misdiagnosis of pediatric bipolar disorder, DSM-5-TR (2022) retained DMDD without substantive criteria changes; ongoing APA updates have not altered DMDD diagnostic criteria to date.[2]
There's more to see -- the rest of this topic is available only to subscribers.
Last updated: September 27, 2025
Citation
Salfi, Nicole, et al. "Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder." Johns Hopkins Psychiatry Guide, The Johns Hopkins University, 2025. Johns Hopkins Guides, www.hopkinsguides.com/hopkins/view/Johns_Hopkins_Psychiatry_Guide/787048/3.1/Disruptive_Mood_Dysregulation_Disorder.
Salfi N, Kimmel M, Speed T, Ji NY. Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder. Johns Hopkins Psychiatry Guide. The Johns Hopkins University; 2025. https://www.hopkinsguides.com/hopkins/view/Johns_Hopkins_Psychiatry_Guide/787048/3.1/Disruptive_Mood_Dysregulation_Disorder. Accessed October 29, 2025.
Salfi, N., Kimmel, M., Speed, T., & Ji, N. Y. (2025). Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder. In Johns Hopkins Psychiatry Guide. The Johns Hopkins University. https://www.hopkinsguides.com/hopkins/view/Johns_Hopkins_Psychiatry_Guide/787048/3.1/Disruptive_Mood_Dysregulation_Disorder
Salfi N, Kimmel M, Speed T, Ji NY. Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder [Internet]. In: Johns Hopkins Psychiatry Guide. The Johns Hopkins University; 2025. [cited 2025 October 29]. Available from: https://www.hopkinsguides.com/hopkins/view/Johns_Hopkins_Psychiatry_Guide/787048/3.1/Disruptive_Mood_Dysregulation_Disorder.
* Article titles in AMA citation format should be in sentence-case
TY - ELEC
T1 - Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder
ID - 787048
A1 - Salfi,Nicole,M.D.
AU - Kimmel,Mary,M.D.
AU - Speed,Traci,M.D., Ph.D.
AU - Ji,Na,M.D.
Y1 - 2025/09/27/
BT - Johns Hopkins Psychiatry Guide
UR - https://www.hopkinsguides.com/hopkins/view/Johns_Hopkins_Psychiatry_Guide/787048/3.1/Disruptive_Mood_Dysregulation_Disorder
PB - The Johns Hopkins University
DB - Johns Hopkins Guides
DP - Unbound Medicine
ER -
