Objectives): 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 (OAP) Test.
Material & Methods: The sample consists of 30 children and adolescents (16 male II 4 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 OAP was administered individually. Symptoms of elevated mood, euphoria and irritability were observed in 90% of subjects; and symptoms of dysphoria were seen in I 0%.
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, I  1   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 OAP.