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bipolar disorder children

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Q: Any sites that speak against diagnosing bipolar disorder in children?
I have to write a paper on how ridiculous it is that children are suddenly being diagnosed with bipolar disorder and about how all celebrities that are out of control suddenly have “bipolar disorder.” I can’t find any sites that speak out against these things. Can you find any?

A: Here is a bit of info:

http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2006/11/08/bipolar-over-diagnosis/

Q: What are the symptoms of bipolar disorder in children?
Are they the same as for adults, or different?

A: Adults manic and depressive swings last for days, in children they can cycle much more quickly. But they do have many of the same symptoms. I work with special needs children and had a bipolar student and learned alot from her family.

Readers Digest actually just had a good article on this, check out these links…
This site lists the criteria for diagnosis http://www.rd.com/content/earlyonset-bipolar-disorder-symptoms/

And this is one families experience:

http://www.rd.com/content/bipolar-disorder-in-children/

Whatever the case may be for your child, if you suspect this you need to be seeing a professional. Even if this is not the right diagnosis, obviously something is wrong. Get a referral from your pediatrician for a good psychiatrist. Not a psychologist, a psychiatrist. The first is a person who got a college degree in psychology and can do talk therapy but cannot prescribe medication, the second is a medical doctor and can prescribe medication. Both have their place, but for a serious mental disorder you need a doctor.

Q: Do you think bipolar disorder in children is real?
Or do you think this is just a child acting like a child?

A: It is real because I experienced symptoms as a child. I was finally diagnosed in 2006. I am 31 years old now.

I now have a 7 year old that has symptoms.

As a child:
I was afraid to sleep at night
I got the shakes and was very nervous
I sometimes was very emotional
I was very depressed and cried for anything

But there are other disorders that can look like Bipolar in a child. For example, ADHD produces similar symptoms.

Q: Bipolar disorder in children?
I’m going to do an essay on bipolar disorder in children. Can anyone tell me a little about it? Is it the same as in adults? What are appropriate medications? How can the parents help the child? Anyone have any personal experience with bipolar kids or bipolar people in general? Thanks!
Okay, yes, in adolescence.

A: I’m assuming you classify children as people under 18 so I’m going to answer your question from my own experience.

I’m 16 and I’ve been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and currently take lithium to treat it. There are a lot of symptoms with bipolar disorder not every person who has it has every symptom (obviously) although the main symptom that everyone has is manic depression. Although I think it gets worse as you get older. Of course adults and children don’t react the same I think it’s worse in teenagers and adults more than younger children. I’ve been depressed since I was 11, but wasn’t diagnosed with Bipolar until I was around 13. I also have other disorders too. Most medications I know of that treat Bipolar Disorder also treat Schizophrenia. Medications I took/take for bipolar were Risperdal, Depakote, Seroquel, Lithium, Trileptol, & Abilify. Might be spelling errors not sure, didn’t check. Hope that helps. :)

Q: Is it comman for children with bipolar disorder to lie and steal?
My daughter is 11 yrs old with bipolar disorder and ADHD. Also, how do I deal with this behavior? It doesn’t happen very often and most of the time she steals from me and my husband. I’m thinking strongley of calling the police next time (yesterday she stole a $20 bill from my purse, she at first denied it but later fessed up when I wouldn’t let her out of her room until she told me the truth) Do you think tough love will work in this situation?

A: Don’t forget that one of the symptoms of bipolar is that the patient has a hard time determining the difference between right and wrong . Most of their acts are impulsive and they lack the reasoning abilities that most people use to determine what they should or shouldn’t do. Locking her in her room is not going to help! She knows that sooner or later she will get out, regardless . If she does confess it will be no more than a means to an end. Setting restrictions and assigning punisments for her behaviors may seem very important but focus only on the negative. Although it is important for her to learn what is unacceptable behavior, she must also be taught what you expect and will accept from her. Tough love says “We don’t accept who you are and we are going to do this {insert proper punishment} to you because we love you ” This makes no sense in the mind of a bipolar person. She will be going through her entire life dealing with the stigma associated with mental illness . Don’t let those first lessons be taught to her in anger. She is not a bad person, she has a bad disease. What helped me a great deal when my daughter was first diagnosed with bipolar was the information I learned attending a class offered by N.A.M.I. {The National Alliance for the Mentally Ill} called the family to family education program . The lessons I learned about what to do and what not to do have been invaluable. My daughter has come so far in the seven years since she was diagnosed. This is due in no small part to the support she has recieved from her family and friends. Believe me when I say that I was once standing in the dark place you now stand, stuck between my anger and fear and the love I have for my daughter. It truly is overwhelming. Choose very carefully . The decisions you make now will affect her for the rest of her life. Right now you are all she has. Be everything you can be for her. Take care, be positive. ….. love her so much that it hurts.

Q: How to explain BiPolar Disorder to young children?
to be able to explain what Bipolar is, and what it does to people with it.

A: Having bipolar disorder myself and having to explain it to a lot of young children, I always find it easier when you try not to be patronising and you tell them the 100% truth, however, they may not understand everything at first so don’t bombard them with things they wont get. Keep updating your explanation as the years go by and the children’s understanding increases.
Avoid lectures, where you talk and the child listens. Use everyday occurrences as opportunities to make brief comments on the run. This technique reduces bipolar disorder to a normal everyday matter-of-fact thing, they’ll get used to it and won’t think of it as a huge deal.
I’ve always said that bipolar disorder is something that makes my feelings very over the top sometimes, I don’t know why this happens and I can’t control it. Sometimes it is very frightening for me and for other people but when I take my medicine I can usually control it. It’s something to do with the brain, it makes me different in a way that is hard to explain. Sometimes I do things I don’t mean and I wish that they wouldn’t happen and I’m very embarrassed and sorry when they do but I know that they aren’t my fault, sometimes I like to stay in bed all day and not go outside and see other people.
Make sure that you explain that whereas bipolar disorder can be a large obstacle to cross, you CAN lead a normal and happy life :)

Hope this helps!

Q: Bipolar Disorder in Children?
I am writing a research paper about bipolar disorder in children. I think this might be too broad of a topic to write about, so does anyone have any suggestions on what I should specifically focus on in this area?

A: Bipolar depression is one of the rarer disorders, but if the range of topics within it are too large focus on one; i.e. causation, or risk factors, or cure, or prevalance across cultures/the accuracy of the diagnosis label.

Q: Please send links with arguments for and against diagnosing children with bipolar disorder?
Also, any links with related illnesses or causes of behavior usually associated with bipolar disorder would be appreciated.

A: http://healthyplace.net/communities/bipolar/children_4.asp

http://bipolar.about.com/od/diagnosis/Diagnosis_of_Early_Onset_Bipolar_Disorder.htm

http://www.newscientist.com/channel/health/mg19426043.900-bipolar-children–is-the-us-overdiagnosing.html

http://www.psychiatrictimes.com/p960531.html
http://www.adhdnews.com/bipolar.htm

http://www.cincinnatichildrens.org/health/info/mental/diagnose/manic.htm

Q: Children with bipolar disorder and their relationship with parents?
hey,
anyone know of children with bipolar disorder and how it affects their relationship with parents?
or any parental influence in how children deal with their disorder?
Thanks!

A: I have bipolar disorder, but I didn’t find out until I was in my 30’s. So for a younger person, a teenager or someone in their 20’s it can be very hard on the family.

Parents need to be understanding and do whatever they can financially to aid in the child’s medical and emotional well-being. If they can’t afford it, then they still need to see that the child gets some sort of counseling and medicine.

It is totally tough. Bipolar comes in different areas; some are grey and not severe and some are very severe. But if the child is young he has a very good chance of being medicated to be completely normal. I am….I’ve never been hospitalized because my parents paid for psychiatry and medicine all through my recovery and I didn’t have to go to a hospital.

Not all parents can afford to do this; but they can try and deal with their child as if he’s a special needs case. Would they give up on the child if he were retarded? Or diabetic? No. They’d get him medicine and therapy.

Hands down, the parents have a tough road..but it is totally fixable via medicine. I KNOW, it happened to me and now I’m totally functional, have a son, work, etc. and I’m happy and don’t need my parents any more.

Hands down, coming from someone with experience: Bipolarism requires good medicine, it may take a while to find the right mix, but children and adults can recover and be normal. The parents need to do whatever it takes to wait for that and see that it is taken care of.

Diane
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Q: Diagnosing bipolar disorder in children?
Can a four year old be diagnosed with bipolar disorder? My psychiatrist has been in practice over thirty years and will not diagnose this disorder until an individual is over twenty-one.

A: A child of year 4 can be diagnosed as having bi polar disorder , but till he becomes 16 , the diagnosis and treatment is quite different than a adult patient. It is preferred that such cases should be tackled by adolescent and child psychiatrist till he becomes 16. The reason being that there could be co morbidity existing. There could be quick and wide changes in symptoms, so all the norms for treating an adult with BP may not necessarily apply.

Therefore BP in adolescent and child category of patients is called chameleon of all psychiatric disorders.

Q: Children with bipolar disorder?
What does bipolar disorder in children look like? I think my son may have it

A: Children with the onset of Bi-Polar usually display extreme anger at times and at other times they may sleep at lot. Anything that you feel is disrupting his life and your families requires professional help. If it is Bi-Polar he needs help because he is suffering terribly and there is help.

Unfortunately nobody on this site can diagnose but if you are having problems the best thing you can do for your child is to get him/her to a psychiatrist preferably a child psychiatrist. A psychologist cannot prescribe medication and is not the expert at diagnosing this kind of problem. Definitely not the pediatrician as he may be very good at treating your child’s physical health but not mental.

Q: can i have children if i have bipolar disorder?
im 21 and have bipolar disorder and currently attend college. im just wondering if having bipolar disorder will affect my children. can they get the disorder? im sometimes embarassed about my mood changes and would feel guilty if i passed the disorder onto children i have

A: Yes…you can have children. And it depends, the origins of the disorder are not clearly known.

Q: Bipolar disorder in children research paper?
So I’m writing a research paper on the subject noted above and am doing pretty well but I need one more page and am having a prolbem finding something to fill that gap. I’ve already covered BPD itself and in children and treatment but need something to put in between I was thinking substance abuse but it’s a pain in the ass to find a credible source on that any thoughts?

A: It may be stretch to relate substance abuse to Bipolar, but if you want just google street drugs, oxycontin or drugs and youth. I would equally suggest adding ADD, OCD or a little early-onset Schizophrenia.

Q: How is bipolar disorder different in teens/children and adults?
I’ve been researching it for school and haven’t found much yet…
Any help is appreciated!

A: I recently received an email from the Juvenile Bipolar Research Foundation. It talks about some symptoms in Pediatric Bipolar Disorder (PBD) that they have documented. I have also noted them to be part of that constellation of symptoms. They include: suffers horrendous nightmares; antagonizes siblings; excessively craves sweets and carbohydrates; wets the bed; sleeps hot; takes excessive risks; hoards food; has many ideas at once; interrupts or intrudes on others’ expriences periods of self-doubt and poor self-esteem and deflects. (the entire article can be found at their website (I got it from Yahoo email ) so do a search, it will pop up)

I feel that whatever educational, learning or social experiences we want for our children who have these challenges — we need to study what various symptoms they may have — sometimes, doing whatever we would with other children isn’t what a bipolar child will do best with. Also, it is hard to tell when one child has symptoms and another not if we only look at the very old classical symptoms.

I know it makes a vital difference to study and learn all we can and ponder and pray about it all — it is a very huge task. But it does make at least some difference — including that the child knows we care about them — teenagers also come to understand whether our love is unconditional or not.

I am concerned when I hear parents talk about their bipolar child being a con artist — oppositional and all. It is so very hard to separate actions and personality from the disorder. Hang in there and hang with us — Bette

Q: how do you handle a 6 year old bipolar disorder child?
my Friend has a bipolar child and i babysit him i need help…BAD!

A: I have a totally workable strategy but of course check with a pediatrician first.

I run them ragged. Being six means energy , and lots of it. In this way I recommend the “Dog Whisperer’s” method of dealing with thoroughly neurotic dogs, get them up, get them out, and tire them out.

With kids it also helps to keep sugar away as much as possible. Sugar and Caffeine are BAD combination with adults, but kids react differently have an almost exclusively BAD diet these days.

Especially if the child has serious mood swings, doing what you can to limit both in their diet is a good idea, but that requires help from your friend, and possibly a good pediatric dietitian.

Hope this helps

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