Bipolar Disorder in Children and Teens (cont.)
In this Article
- What is bipolar disorder?
- What are common symptoms of bipolar disorder in children and teens?
- What affects a child's risk of getting bipolar disorder?
- How does bipolar disorder affect children and teens differently than adults?
- How is bipolar disorder detected in children and teens?
- What illnesses often co-exist with bipolar disorder in children and teens?
- What treatments are available for children and teens with bipolar disorder?
- What can children and teens with bipolar disorder expect from treatment?
- Where can families of children with bipolar disorder get help?
- Where can I go for help?
- What if my child is in crisis?
- For more information on bipolar disorder
- Find a local Doctor in your town
How does bipolar disorder affect children and teens differently than adults?
Bipolar disorder that starts during childhood or during the teen years is called early-onset bipolar disorder. Early-onset bipolar disorder seems to be more severe than the forms that first appear in older teens and adults. Youth with bipolar disorder are different from adults with bipolar disorder. Young people with the illness appear to have more frequent mood switches, are sick more often, and have more mixed episodes.
Watch out for any sign of suicidal thinking or behaviors. Take these signs seriously. On average, people with early-onset bipolar disorder have greater risk for attempting suicide than those whose symptoms start in adulthood. One large study on bipolar disorder in children and teens found that more than one-third of study participants made at least one serious suicide attempt. Some suicide attempts are carefully planned and others are not. Either way, it is important to understand that suicidal feelings and actions are symptoms of an illness that must be treated.
How is bipolar disorder detected in children and teens?
No blood tests or brain scans can diagnose bipolar disorder. However, a doctor may use tests like these to help rule out other possible causes for your child's symptoms. For example, the doctor may recommend testing for problems in learning, thinking, or speech and language. A careful medical exam may also detect problems that commonly co-occur with bipolar disorder and need to be treated, such as substance abuse.
Doctors who have experience with diagnosing early-onset bipolar disorder, such as psychiatrists, psychologists, or other mental health specialists, will ask questions about changes in your child's mood. They will also ask about sleep patterns, activity or energy levels, and if your child has had any other mood or behavioral disorders. The doctor may also ask whether there is a family history of bipolar disorder or other psychiatric illnesses, such as depression or alcoholism.
Doctors usually diagnose mental disorders using guidelines from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, or DSM. According to the DSM, there are four basic types of bipolar disorder:
- Bipolar I Disorder is mainly defined by manic or mixed episodes that last at least seven days, or by manic symptoms that are so severe that the person needs immediate hospital care. Usually, the person also has depressive episodes, typically lasting at least two weeks. The symptoms of mania or depression must be a major change from the person's normal behavior.
- Bipolar II Disorder is defined by a pattern of depressive episodes shifting back and forth with hypomanic episodes, but no full-blown manic or mixed episodes.
- Bipolar Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (BP-NOS) is diagnosed when a person has symptoms of the illness that do not meet diagnostic criteria for either bipolar I or II. The symptoms may not last long enough, or the person may have too few symptoms, to be diagnosed with bipolar I or II. However, the symptoms are clearly out of the person's normal range of behavior.
- Cyclothymic Disorder, or Cyclothymia, is a mild form of bipolar disorder. People who have cyclothymia have episodes of hypomania that shift back and forth with mild depression for at least two years (one year for children and adolescents). However, the symptoms do not meet the diagnostic requirements for any other type of bipolar disorder.
When children have manic symptoms that last for less than four days, experts recommend that they be diagnosed with BP-NOS. Some scientific evidence indicates that about one-third of these young people will develop longer episodes within a few years. If so, they meet the criteria for bipolar I or II.
Also, researchers are working on whether certain symptoms mean a child should be diagnosed with bipolar disorder. For example, scientists are studying children with very severe, chronic irritability and symptoms of ADHD, but no clear episodes of mania. Some experts think these children should be diagnosed with mania. At the same time, there is scientific evidence that suggests these irritable children are different from children with bipolar disorder in the following key areas: the outcome of their illness, family history, and brain function.
When you talk to your child's doctor or a mental health specialist, be sure to ask questions. Getting answers helps you understand the terms they use to describe your child's symptoms.
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