Bipolar disorder, also known as manic-depressive illness, was once believed to affect adults only. But researchers have found that children as young as seven years old can have this disorder. Bipolar disorder is a treatable neurobiological brain illness, characterized by severe fluctuations in mood and activity levels.
Symptoms of bipolar disorders in children are hard to recognize because of their age-appropriate emotions and behaviors. Children suffer from the illness differently from adults. In adults, bipolar disorder is marked by mood cycling between periods of intense highs and lows. But in children, it often appears to be a rather chronic mood deregulation with a combination of elation, depression, and irritability.
Bipolar disorders in children often involve very fast mood swings between depression and mania repeatedly in a day. Unlike many adults, children are more likely to be irritable, and they are prone to destructive outbursts. During a depressed mood, children suffer from headaches, stomach aches, and fatigue. Symptoms such as poor performance in school, poor communication, and extreme sensitivity to rejection or failure are also evidences of bipolar disorder occurring in childhood. Some children with this disorder show both maniac and depressive symptoms simultaneously.
Early onset of bipolar disorder is sometimes hard to diagnose. Early treatment by an experienced medical practitioner is needed. No specific test is currently available for the detection of this illness. Bipolar disorder in children often begins with major depression characterized by chronic irritability. It is more likely to affect children of parents who have the illness. Studies show that when one parent suffers from bipolar disorder, the risk of a child falling a victim to the disorder is 15% to 30%. If both parents have the illness, the risk rises to 50% to 75%.
Bipolar disorders in children are usually treated with medicines such as mood stabilizers in combination with other drugs. Medication helps stabilize the child's mood and prevent worsening of symptoms.
Symptoms of bipolar disorders in children are hard to recognize because of their age-appropriate emotions and behaviors. Children suffer from the illness differently from adults. In adults, bipolar disorder is marked by mood cycling between periods of intense highs and lows. But in children, it often appears to be a rather chronic mood deregulation with a combination of elation, depression, and irritability.
Bipolar disorders in children often involve very fast mood swings between depression and mania repeatedly in a day. Unlike many adults, children are more likely to be irritable, and they are prone to destructive outbursts. During a depressed mood, children suffer from headaches, stomach aches, and fatigue. Symptoms such as poor performance in school, poor communication, and extreme sensitivity to rejection or failure are also evidences of bipolar disorder occurring in childhood. Some children with this disorder show both maniac and depressive symptoms simultaneously.
Early onset of bipolar disorder is sometimes hard to diagnose. Early treatment by an experienced medical practitioner is needed. No specific test is currently available for the detection of this illness. Bipolar disorder in children often begins with major depression characterized by chronic irritability. It is more likely to affect children of parents who have the illness. Studies show that when one parent suffers from bipolar disorder, the risk of a child falling a victim to the disorder is 15% to 30%. If both parents have the illness, the risk rises to 50% to 75%.
Bipolar disorders in children are usually treated with medicines such as mood stabilizers in combination with other drugs. Medication helps stabilize the child's mood and prevent worsening of symptoms.
