BIPOLAR DISORDER
Bipolar Disorder in Child
Bipolar Disorder
By Vanessa Rasmussen, © 2006-2010, All rights reserved.
Bipolar
disorder is a serious mental illness characterized by recurrent episodes of
depression, mania, and/or mixed symptom states. These episodes cause unusual
and extreme shifts in mood, energy, and behavior that interfere significantly
with normal, healthy functioning. Children with bipolar disorder are at risk
for school failure, substance abuse, and suicide.
This disorder is difficult to recognize and
diagnose in young children, mainly because it does not fit precisely the symptom
criteria established for adults. Besides, its symptoms can resemble or co-occur
with those of other common childhood-onset mental disorders. In addition,
symptoms of bipolar disorder may be initially mistaken for normal emotions
and behaviors of children and adolescents.
Manic symptoms include:
- Severe mood swings- either extremely irritable
or overly silly and elated
- Grandiose behavior
- Hyper-activity
- Less requirement of sleep- can go on without
sleep for days together.
- Highly talkativeness- talks too fast, on
too many topics at the same time and changes topics too quickly.
- Lack of attention span
- Hyper-sexuality - increased sexual thoughts,
feelings, or behaviors; use of explicit sexual language
- Aggressive and violent behavior
- Undertaking risky activities without thinking
about the consequences.
Depressive symptoms include:
- Often sad or irritable
- Lack of interest in activities once enjoyed
- Change in eating pattern and body weight
- Irregular sleeping habits - difficulty in
sleeping, oversleeping, lack of sleep
- Physical agitation or slowing
- Inactive behavior - loss of energy
- Feeling of worthlessness or in appropriate
guilt
- Recurrent thoughts of death or suicide
Early intervention by a skilled clinician is
essential, because early onset bipolar disorder can sometimes be difficult
to diagnose. There is no specific test for the illness, the disorder is often
accompanied by other psychiatric disorders, and many symptoms overlap. Bipolar
disorder in children often begins with major depression marked by chronic
irritability. Treatment with the wrong medications-stimulants and antidepressants
in particular-can result in significant worsening of the illness. Prompt diagnosis
and appropriate treatment, however, can lead to much more stable lives for
these children and their families.
It is essential to treat bipolar disorder with
medication, typically consisting of mood stabilizers in combination with other
drugs, in order to stabilize the child's mood and to prevent worsening of
symptoms. In addition, some kind of behavior or interpersonal therapy may
be helpful to help children learn ways to control behavior and learn new behaviors,
as well as come to accept the realities of their life-long disorder.
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