Adolescent Bipolar Disorder: Early Detection Is Important

When you think of bipolar disorder, you probably think that it is an adult affliction. The sad thing is that children and teens can be diagnosed with the disorder along with adults. Children of bipolar parents are highly susceptible of developing the disorder over the years. Doctors have just recently been able to diagnose adolescent bipolar disorder and in doing so have been able to start treatment early so that the child can have a more normal life.

Bipolar disorder is a mental condition in which the patient has extreme cycles of depression and maniocs which makes their life a roller coaster of emotions. The child if undiagnosed can be miserable as their uncontrolled emotions will hurt relationships and cause frustration from their parents. Their social development will be hindered because the other children will not know how to react to these mood swings.

Often Confused With ADHD

The confusing thing about bipolar disorder in children is how they are diagnosed. There is really no accurate count of the number of children who have bipolar disorder because the mental illness is misdiagnosed as ADHD or depression. The numbers of kids with these diagnoses are staggering compared to the real diagnosis of bipolar disorder. The reason is that the depression cycle might not be recognized in the child or the ADHD might be more noticeable.

The last thing a parent would want to hear is that their child is diagnosed with bipolar and the diagnosis of ADHD or depression is better. Without the proper questioning by the doctor or the proper observation reports from the parents the doctors will only see one side of the cycle and the misdiagnosis will be made.

The Manic Phase

If you think your child has bipolar disorder you need to know the symptoms of both cycles. The cycles of mania are a decreased need for sleep. The child may be hard to get to bed and stay in bed at night. The child may have grandiose illusions where they imagine a situation being bigger than it is and their reaction to this is over exaggerated. Their mood will hyper and irritable. They may go off over the littlest thing and over react to situations that only exist in their head. In severe cases the child may have hallucinations and hear voices.

The Pendulum Swings

The other side of the cycle is depression. Your child may cry a lot and not have many moments of happiness. The child may sleep more than normal and have a hard time waking up. If the child is school age, their grades may drop and the parent will start to get notices of bad behavior. In extreme cases thoughts of death and suicide may enter the mind of people with adolescent bipolar disorder. They will look tired and worn out all the time.

If your child has any of these symptoms remember that one cycle may over shadow the other. The best thing is to observe the child over a period of time and be armed with tons of information for the doctor. If you can't inform the doctor then the doctor has a huge chance of making a misdiagnosis.