Bipolar Disorder Support Group

Bipolar disorder is not just a single disorder, but a category of mood disorders marked by periods of abnormally high energy and euphoria, often accompanied by bouts of clinical depression. This is the place to talk about your experience with bipolar disorder, learn from others' experiences, and find support.

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Bi-polar in kids??

Katten
Katten
Hi all,

Desperately trying to sort things out with our 8-year-old... And then I had the 'tip' that we might consider bi-polar...

Is there anyone in here who has any experiences of this - what would characterize kids with bi-polar? I found out a bit about ODD and thought that that might be it, but I don't know... bi-polar makes sense in that it sort of runs in the family, and in that he (our son that is) has states that could be seen as mania, but other than that, I'm not sure... does bi-polar in kids express itself as vindictiveness, meanness, a lack of a sense of guilt, aggression, tantrums...?

He's never sad or anxious; bad moods are instead characterized by anger and destructiveness (though not self-destructiveness)

Any thoughts at all would be VERY welcome...

Hugs to y'all

Katten
dancingd
dancingd
See a professional.
Get a diagnosis ASAP...usually BP is NOT diagnosed before the age of 18..because the brain is still developing ...BP is a chemical imbalance of the brain..organic in nature.

What you are discribing , might be Personality Disorders...diff than BP, but often present similarly ...good luck
bookmaven
bookmaven
you should schedule an appointment with a psychiatrist who can do a proper assessment. and look for additional support in the family and friends group where you'll be able to seek advice and experiences from people in families going through similar questions and difficulties. i hope you'll find the help you need for yourself and your family.
http://www.dailystrength.org/c/Family-and-Friends-of-Bipolar/support-group
Community Leaderacuriousfish
acuriousfish
It's controversial. It seems to be being diagnosed in the US - but in Europe it's believed to be very rare. And apparently it's not treated with medication at a young age in Europe.

Personal opinion - the brain has to be at a particular developmental stage, somewhere around mid and late teens. Interestingly this is exactly the same as schizophrenia which usually apears in late teens.
deleted_user
deleted_user
Children seem to get Risperdal for their meds. I don't know why but that is the general above average med.
1seekingpeace
1seekingpeace
I would not jump to conclusions! I agree, take him to see a Psyc doctor or therapist. They say most children have ODD before the age of 5-6 and grow out of it. I have a son that was diagnosed as having ODD and ADHD, he needs structure, and was placed in the BD class. He is also a gifted child, the BD class has allowed the teacher to teach him at his level, which is 1-2 yrs above the grade he is in. I chose not to medicate, and all the therapy and his teacher, and structure has made a huge improvement! He is doing fantastic now. I wish you the best of luck! I also recommend Omega 3 and Celtic Sea salt is good for kids that are having these sort of issues! I am moving soon and hoping to get my son into a gifted program next year! If you need to talk, I am here :)
Katten
Katten
Wow!

What a response! THANK YOU ALL!!!

Yeah, I'd LOVE to have a professional 'look at' him, it's just that the place you normally go to in Sweden (where we live) won't see us... they've basically told us that because he's generally only 'misbehaving' at home, it's most likely simply down to bad parenting rather than to any psych problems :( Hmmm yeah, perhaps they're right... sometimes I think so myself. But then again, how come none of his brothers have these problems then? (He's got two younger and two elder brothers).

What I'm trying to do is to find as much info as possible on different possibilities, so we have more to fall back on next time we try getting help (because yeah, we will try again...)

Anyway - thank you all!!!

Katten
deleted_user
deleted_user
Yes, my son is diagnosed with ADHD and his birth mother has all sorts of problems. I also choose to not medicate him because of the lack of sleep and numbness he felt. He is a very lively man today.

He self medicates with pot, which is much better than many other things he could be using.
Katten
Katten
Yeah, I'm not too keen on meds either...

Hugs
K
deleted_user
deleted_user
Look up and find WRAP in this website, it has great information for kids with Bipolar.

http://riverside.networkofcare.org/mh/home/index.cfm
deleted_user
deleted_user
I agree with everyone, get him to see a professional, some of that might just be him being a "kid" IDK, I'm not a professional, but I do believe that you have to be older to develop bipolar as it is a chemicla imbalance in the brain and the brain isn't fully developed in an 8 year old, whatever happens I wish you both the best of luck
HannaHana
HannaHana
I'm in the same boat. My 8 year old son has been diagnosed with ADHD, ODD and Mood Disorder. They will not usually label a child with Bipolar since it is a lifelong label. He demonstrates all the symptoms your son does, except he does have severe paranoia, anxiety and psychosis.

I'm here to talk if ever you need!!!

My son is on Risperdal...and the dose just seems to be getting higher and higher without result....but it is a wonder drug for some other children.
Katten
Katten
Thanks all three of you!!!

Lots of hugs
K
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