Bipolar Disorder in Children WisdomCard™
Our Guides and Physician Review team have organized the Top 10 Health Resources on Bipolar Disorder in Children and compiled helpful research notes below.
Success!
Thanks for helping us improve this WisdomCard. We'll let you know if your resource makes the Top 10!.
Have another great resource to share? Go ahead and nominate another resource!
Nominate a Resource for this WisdomCard™
We have 5 top resources but need 5 more. Are there additional great resources about Bipolar Disorder in Children that we should add here? The OrganizedWisdom team looks forward to reviewing your nomination!
Research Notes on Bipolar Disorder in Children
Bipolar disorder, also called manic-depressive illness, can be misdiagnosed as attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) when it appears in children.1 Bipolar disorder is a serious mental illness characterized by recurrent episodes of depression, mania, and/or mixed symptom states.2 Young people with bipolar disorder may have symptoms more often and switch moods more frequently than adults with the illness; they may also have more mixed episodes than adults.2 The symptoms may manifest as a variety of different behaviors.
Fast Facts:
- When children develop bipolar disorder it is called early-onset bipolar disorder; this can be more severe than bipolar disorder in older teens and adults.2
- Mania in children and teens may manifest as an overly inflated self-esteem, decreased need for rest and sleep, increased distractibility and irritability, excessive involvement in pleasurable and/or high-risk activities, increased talkativeness, excessive euphoria, severe mood changes, increased sex drive or hypersexuality, increased energy level, and/or poor judgment.3
- Depression in children and teens may include persistent feelings of sadness, feeling hopeless or helpless, low self-esteem, feeling inadequate, excessive guilt, suicidal thoughts or attempts, loss of interest in usual activities or activities, difficulty with relationships. sleep disturbances (such as insomnia or hypersomnia), changes in appetite or weight, decreased energy, difficulty concentrating, frequent physical complaints (such as headache, stomach ache, or fatigue), running away or threats of running away from home, hypersensitivity to failure or rejection, irritability, hostility, and/or aggression.3
There's more WisdomCard content below this ad.
Advertisement
Research Notes References
- ↑ Cleveland Clinic (via WebMD): Children and Teens with Bipolar Disorder
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 National Institute of Mental Health: Child and Adolescent Bipolar Disorder: An Update from the National Institute of Mental Health
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Children's Hospital Boston: My Child Has Manic Depression/Bipolar Disorder
About this WisdomCard
- Contributor: Nicole Kinsey
- Reviewer: Emily Lapkin
- Supervised by: The OrganizedWisdom Physician Review Team
- Last update: Oct. 14, 2009
Each WisdomCard is handcrafted by our team of physician-guided health advocates. Our goal is to make it easy for you to find the most useful health resources for any health topic. In addition to filtering out spam and bad links, WisdomCards highlight tips and warnings, such as:
- Guide Favorite
- Guide Warning
- Scroll down to reach relevant content
- Video
- In Memoriam
Help improve this WisdomCard by suggesting great links.
Advertisement
Are You Depressed?
1. Have you been feeling blue, or "down in the dumps"?
About WisdomCard
Meet our contributors and reviewers
- Contributor: Nicole Kinsey
- Reviewer: Emily Lapkin
- Supervised by: The OrganizedWisdom Physician Review Team
- Redirects: Children and Bipolar Disorder, Bipolar children, Early-Onset Bipolar Disorder, Early Onset Bipolar Disorder, Bipolar Disorder and Children
- Last update: Jul. 17, 2009
Each WisdomCard is handcrafted by our team of physician-guided health advocates. Our goal is to make it easy for you to find the most useful health resources for any health topic by filtering out spam and bad links.
