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.
Hi all,
Is there anyone can please help me..? I first joined this site about a year ago, because of my worries over our 8-year-old (now soon 9-year-old). I personally suspected ODD, but then someone asked me if I'd considered bipolar...
Well, it took us quite some time to actually get help, but now finally things are starting to happen, and we've finally got someone to listen to us, so now they're going to do a lot of tests and stuff to try and sort things out. YAY!!!
Anyway, the first thing these professionals asked me after an initial 'talk' was: "Have you considered bipolar"!
Well, yeah, ever since I got the tip in here... (or, well, in the ODD forum). And also since I myself am diagnosed with bipolar II.
Now, my question is: Is it possible for a bipolar kid to have like REALLY rapid mood swings..? I'm not talking from one week to another, or even from one day to another here, but rather going back and forth, back and forth throughout one and the same day?
One minute he's like raving mad, and then the next second he can just switch over and start laughing, running about, talking in the goofiest voice, banging on things (for fun), then he switches over to 'normal', acting just like a normal, calm kid, then he switches over to what we call the 'whining stage', when he keeps complaining about absolutely everything - EVERYTHING's wrong, life is so unfair, and I'm such a worthless mum who never does anything for him and so on... the whining stage can go on for hours, during which he often works himself up to a rage and then explodes over sth and goes completely berserk again... and so it goes on...
Pheew... I'm sorry this turned out so long and unfocused... I'm just wondering about this extreme 'cycling'... it's not like he's having depressive or manic EPISODES, it's more like just a complete mix of everything all at the same time, if you see what I mean...
Any thoughts at all are more than welcome...
Luv to all!!!
/Katten
Is there anyone can please help me..? I first joined this site about a year ago, because of my worries over our 8-year-old (now soon 9-year-old). I personally suspected ODD, but then someone asked me if I'd considered bipolar...
Well, it took us quite some time to actually get help, but now finally things are starting to happen, and we've finally got someone to listen to us, so now they're going to do a lot of tests and stuff to try and sort things out. YAY!!!
Anyway, the first thing these professionals asked me after an initial 'talk' was: "Have you considered bipolar"!
Well, yeah, ever since I got the tip in here... (or, well, in the ODD forum). And also since I myself am diagnosed with bipolar II.
Now, my question is: Is it possible for a bipolar kid to have like REALLY rapid mood swings..? I'm not talking from one week to another, or even from one day to another here, but rather going back and forth, back and forth throughout one and the same day?
One minute he's like raving mad, and then the next second he can just switch over and start laughing, running about, talking in the goofiest voice, banging on things (for fun), then he switches over to 'normal', acting just like a normal, calm kid, then he switches over to what we call the 'whining stage', when he keeps complaining about absolutely everything - EVERYTHING's wrong, life is so unfair, and I'm such a worthless mum who never does anything for him and so on... the whining stage can go on for hours, during which he often works himself up to a rage and then explodes over sth and goes completely berserk again... and so it goes on...
Pheew... I'm sorry this turned out so long and unfocused... I'm just wondering about this extreme 'cycling'... it's not like he's having depressive or manic EPISODES, it's more like just a complete mix of everything all at the same time, if you see what I mean...
Any thoughts at all are more than welcome...
Luv to all!!!
/Katten
You're absolutely right in all you're saying - except the bit about the doc, but that's my fault, I phrased myself badly... We had an initial 'assessment talk' (don't know whether that's the correct term for it, but I hope you see what I mean anyway) with a couple of 'experts' (a psychiatrist, a psychologist, and... sth else ehum...) And then they had their own assessment talk between themselves, and then they talked to us again and said that they'd been discussing different possibilities, and what they found to be the most striking 'option', which they'd suggest would be the first thing to start looking into, was bipolar - HAD WE CONSIDERED THAT AT ALL? See? So it wasn't as though they were asking what diagnosis we would give, but rather 'do OUR first impression shock you, or is this something YOU've considered too?'
Anyway, everything else you're saying is obviously very true... thing is though, I basically NEVER give him sugar - or, well, I do once a week, Friday night when we have 'fredagsmys' the whole family... (I really don't know how to translate that... Swedish thing... getting together Friday evening, eating nice stuff, perhaps watch a movie and so on), but other than that - NO. So we can't explain his behaviour that way. Also, although you're absolutely right that labeling kids with all sorts of disorders and big letter combos seems to have become like fashionable, and that many alleged 'disorders' may just be kids being kids, I really don't know in our case... yeah, I guess it may be perfectly normal, and much more common than one'd think, for kids to behave the way he does... Perhaps kids in general tend to go round laughing and jabbering hysterically, only to all of a sudden throw a tantrum, grabbing knives from the kitchen drawers going after their brothers, throwing furniture at you, spitting, screaming and cursing way worse than anything from "The Exorcist" (just waiting for his head to start spinning...), only to then, equally suddenly, going all calm and pleasant and sweet... I don't know... would you say that's common, everyday kid's behaviour? (I'm not being sarcastic, I'm genuinely wondering)
Oh gosh... this turned out long... SORRY!! Better stop now...
Luv
Katten