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Bipolar Children - How are they treated and diagnosed!
For much of the last century, the psychiatric profession considered bipolar children to be non-existent. That is, they believed that bipolar disorder, also known as manic depression, occurred only in adults, even though some early researchers had evidence suggesting that a few adults had symptoms that had indeed manifested before they were ten. But manic depression treatments were pretty much exclusively designed for adults until recent years, as a result of this belief. Finding any bipolar facts about symptoms or treatments for children was difficult for a long time.
Things have gotten better to some degree; certainly the current treatments have greatly improved the situation. But another reason why it's hard to treat bipolar disorder is that the symptoms tend to overlap with those of other disorders. For example, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) may resemble bipolar disorder in its manic phase. Bipolar children with those symptoms are often diagnosed only because they are more aggressive, with more behavioral problems, than if they only had ADHD. With such overlapping of symptoms, what this means is that diagnosing the problem and finding the right medical treatments is very difficult.
There is a greater probability of developing a bipolar disorder in children suffering from anxiety disorders, so it is advisable for doctors to check for manic depression among those who have anxiety disorders. The children with bipolar disorder might have already received prior treatment for full fledged depression which can be an antecedent for the later problem. If persistent, irritability and hypersensitivity too can be alarming signals.
There are more chances of children getting diagnosed with bipolar disorder in America than elsewhere. Diagnosis is contentious and explanations differ on the reason for this. It might just be a case of over diagnosis or recognition of a problem already there. Bipolar info and understanding of symptoms is quite different in countries around the world.
This means that treatment for manic depression will also vary between countries. Yet if this disorder is genuine, it appears to be more intense in bipolar children than in adults, so it's important to find the right therapies. Some of the antipsychotic drugs usually prescribed for this disorder can damage the liver and increase the risk of heart problems or diabetes. Yet without the medications, children are at risk of psychosis, cognitive impairment or even suicide. Correct diagnosis is crucial, so that the best treatments can be devised, and the risk to the children minimized as much as possible.
Further information concerning bipolar children
Treatment Options for Delusional Disorder
Current Treatments for Dissociative Disorder