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Manic Depressive Symptoms in Children

Manic depressive symptoms are an indication of bipolar disorder. According to the Child and Adolescent Bipolar Foundation, children with bipolar disorder "usually have an ongoing, continuous mood disturbance that is a mix of mania and depression. This rapid and severe cycling between moods produces chronic irritability and few clear periods of wellness between episodes." Many different symptoms of bipolar disorder in children have been reported by experts and parents, and a child suffering from the disorder may exhibit any combination of these symptoms.

  1. Irritability

    • Bipolar children often exhibit extreme irritability that leads to long and sometimes destructive temper tantrums. These rages may pass in a few minutes, or they may last for up to several hours. They are often unpredictable and explosive.

    Grandiosity

    • A bipolar child may think that rules and natural laws do not apply to him and that he can do grandiose things that are not possible for others. This may lead him to attempt daredevil stunts, such as attempting to fly by jumping off of a high place, or to break rules at school or at home without giving a thought to the consequences. This particular symptom is not defiance; it is evidence of delusional thinking. As far as the child is concerned, his actions match up with the reality that exists in his head.

    Defiance

    • A child with bipolar disorder may exhibit strong defiance toward authority. This defiance may be especially apparent when an affected child is denied something she wants, and the intensity of the defiant response may be way out of proportion with the denied privilege. Just hearing the word "no" from a parent or teacher may set off a fit of rage in an affected child.

    Less Need for Sleep

    • In her article, "Is it Bipolar Disorder, ADHD, or What?" Dr. Annette Lansford writes, "Manic children often have a decreased need for sleep---not insomnia, but an ability to function well on less sleep than normal." Four to six hours of sleep may be enough for an affected child, allowing him to function without being tired the following day. He may get this few hours of sleep simply by staying up late at night, feeling fully awake and energized.

    Hypersexuality

    • According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, "Hypersexuality can occur in children with mania without any evidence of physical or sexual abuse. These children act flirtatious beyond their years, may try to touch the private areas of adults (including teachers), and use explicit sexual language." An affected child may simply be more aware of sex than other children his age, and this fact may be regularly evident in his normal conversation.

    Elation

    • A child with bipolar disorder may exhibit extreme elation for no apparent reason. She may laugh wildly and express intense excitement in any number of settings without any noticeable motivation. The website for the National Alliance on Mental Illness adds, "If someone who did not know them saw their behaviors, they would think the child was on his/her way to Disneyland. Parents and teachers often see this as 'Jim Carrey-like' behaviors."

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