Children With Bipolar Disorder

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Children With Bipolar Disorder

Sunday, February 22nd, 2009 Subscribe To Our Feed

Even though it may be a serious matter, bipolar disorder is treatable. It is part of a growing list of mental disorders that have become quite common these days. It affects a person’s vocational and social development. Also due to the serious psychological symptoms, the disorder can cause a change in a person’s behavior. There is in excess of 2 million people in the US alone living with bipolar disorder. Bipolar is not only confined to adults today but also to children. It maybe common in late adolescence and early adulthood but bipolar in children is not uncommon.

How common is Bipolar in Children?

Though the diagnosis of bipolar in children is considered controversial and rare, according to studies it is estimated that 0.3% to 0.5% of children under the age of ten are affected with bipolar. However, some argue this finding. There has been an increase of over 40-fold from the year 1994 to the year 2003 and it still continues to rise. Other recent studies also suggest that bipolar can strike as early as the age of seven years old .A staggering number compared to previous years.

Bipolar in Adolescents

The peak years of the onset of most bipolar illnesses are during late adolescence and early adulthood. People who are experiencing bipolar during this time of their lives can be severely disrupted since these are the critical periods in the development of vocational and social aspects of a young adult’s life. In any given year, about 2.6 percent of people who age 18 years and older suffer from bipolar illness.

The symptoms of bipolar are different in adults than in children, which presents a diagnostic challenge to the professionals in the field of mental health. Bipolar in adults have predictable patterns of symptoms, unlike in bipolar disorder children that very often exhibit explosive outburst and irritable moods. Also, bipolar kids may experience the cycles of manic-depressive far more rapidly compared to adult cases.

Bipolar in children is most of the time overlooked because some of the symptoms of bipolar are close to those of mental disorders such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder or ADHD. It has even been recorded that bipolar can even co-exist with ADHD.

In the case of bipolar in adults, many times it is not recognized as an illness because it is usually mistaken for other symptoms of postpartum psychosis, postpartum depression, premenstrual dysphoric disorder and substance abuse. Throughout the life of a person, it should be carefully managed because it is a long term disorder.

It is important to have some knowledge of bipolar disorder because of the possible cases that may cause bipolar to be overlooked. This is really serious because bipolar has even lead many to committing suicide. Bipolar disorder has a good prognosis and can easily be treated if done early and with proper management.

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