How to Know If Your Child Is Bipolar?

Bipolar Disorder, also known as manic depression, is characterized in children by extreme irritability and/or moodiness. According to Janice Papolos and Demitri F. Papolos, MD, it is hard to diagnose because it overlaps with other illnesses such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) and obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). For this reason it is imperative to have a good working relationship with your child's doctor or psychiatrist. It is important, according to Ellen Leibenluft, MD, to keep a diary of your child's symptoms. Look for the following symptoms.

Instructions

Mania/Irritability

• 1

  Extreme irritability. Look at your child's behavior to ascertain if he has poor or aggressive impulse control. Ask yourself if he gets frustrated easily.

• 2

  High mood. Examine your child's mood. See if it is inflated. Check if he has overly high confidence or grandiose thoughts

• 3

  Trouble sleeping. Evaluate your child's sleep habits. Consider if he has difficulty staying asleep.

• 4

  Distraction. Think about your child's attention span. Decide if it is unfocused and shorter than his peers. Conclude if he has poor judgment resulting in rash behavior (socially, school, sexually).

• 5

  Anxiety and fear. Judge your child's unease to find out if he becomes anxious easily. Check if he worries about harm to himself or others.

• 6

  Psychotic behavior. This is difficult to discern in young children, however, assess your child's mental behaviors. Review if he sees things that are not there or hears imaginary voices.

Depression

• 7

  Loss of interest. Appraise your child's activity level. Determine if she is uninterested in things that previously held high interest.

• 8

  Feelings. Explore with your child her feelings toward herself. See if she feels worthless or has thoughts that she'd be better off dead.

• 9

  Sensory sensitivity. Reflect on your child's response to sights, sounds, smells, taste, or touch. Consider if she over reacts to strong or new stimuli

• 10

  Sleep. Survey your child's sleep habits. Judge if she has problems sleeping too little or too much.

  (The above scale is based upon references 1 and 2.)