It’s only been in recent years that the psychiatric profession has even recognized that there could be bipolar children. The accepted wisdom was always that bipolar disorder, or manic depression, only developed in adults. This was despite evidence from early researchers that some adult symptoms had in fact emerged before they were ten years old. But the result of this assumption was that manic depression treatment methods were always geared explicitly toward adults. It wasn’t easy to find any sort of bipolar information about either symptoms or treatment for manic depression in children.

New depression treatment has improved, but there is still far to go. Part of the problem is that many of the symptoms that manifest in bipolar children can overlap with those that occur with other disorders. For example, the intensity of a manic phase may closely resemble the hyperactivity associated with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Indeed, some children have both, and often the extra hint that the problem isn’t just ADHD is that the children are more aggressive and have more behavioral difficulties than if he or she only had ADHD. So finding the right medical treatments can be a real challenge, not to mention diagnosing the problem in the first place.

Anxiety disorders can also be an indicator that doctors should watch for manic depression as well, since children with these disorders are more likely also to develop bipolar disorder. Children with bipolar disorder may often have had treatment already for full-blown depressive episodes, which served as precursors for the later illness. Even irritability and hypersensitivity might be warning signs, if they last for days at a time.

Diagnosis is controversial, though, because children with bipolar disorder are much more likely to be diagnosed in the United States than in other parts of the world. Interpretations vary on whether this is because there is simply over diagnosis in the U.S., or whether US doctors are simply recognizing a problem that really exists. Bipolar info and interpretation of symptoms varies considerably from country to country.

What will also vary between countries as a result will be the treatments for manic depression. But it’s important to establish the accuracy of the diagnosis, because the disorder appears to be much more intense for bipolar children than for adults. Using antipsychotic drug products unnecessarily could lead to the risk of liver damage, diabetes and heart problems for the children. Yet if they aren’t used when needed, then there are other high risks, such as psychosis, cognitive impairment or even suicide. Only if the correct diagnosis is made can the children be helped and the very best treatments be chosen.

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