It's normal to be confused about things, especially when it's something you're not used to. Though I'm sure the doctors must do many tests and the like to determine what diagnoses they give.

Hope you can find information on it. If I had any on this aspect of BP dx I'd share, but I only deal with an adult having the illness so it's not really my area.

Good luck.

Oh, I don't have a child with bp..have just noticed it's way more commonly dx recently..that's all. thx for yr comment.

I'm with you on the observation Lou. My wife is BP1 and I'm ever cautious of attaching the stigma to my 3.5 year old daughter, rather letting things take their course naturally. In extended circumstance, I can see where this is necessary, but kids being kids has to prevail. I wouldn't want my child to go through all this at that early of an age unless the docs and our family were certain that it is BP. I mean no offense to those that have BP children.

I think BP is more commonly diagnosed full stop these days. In the early 70's when my mum first started having episodes, she was first diagnosed to post natal psychosis, then later schzophenia...it is only in later years that she was diagnosed with BP.

While I don't like the idea of labelling children, not just with a MI, but with behaviour problems - in the long run maybe it does help the child, plus family have told me that my mum was never quite right growing up, she had bp then, but didn't get diagnosed until about 6 years ago. Would her life have been easier if she had been diagnosed in childhood?

I think a lot of people have always been septable to becoming BP but because of all the stress in our lives that the evil illness comes out more often then it use to. I could be wrong, just my opinion!

My older son has been showing signs all his life. But, I am leery of having him labeled and diagnosed so young. Maybe he is just mirroring my behaviors I think... but my other child never has. I'm not sure what to think. I hope he is not bipolar, but I suspect he is. If he is its probably not good to delay treatment. He is only 9 years old. I definitely don't want him medicated yet, because I have had several bad med reactions myself. What's a mom to do????

My older son has been showing signs all his life. But, I am leery of having him labeled and diagnosed so young. Maybe he is just mirroring my behaviors I think... but my other child never has. I'm not sure what to think. I hope he is not bipolar, but I suspect he is. If he is its probably not good to delay treatment. He is only 9 years old. I definitely don't want him medicated yet, because I have had several bad med reactions myself. What's a mom to do????

For many, many years, even through the 1980s, the psychiatric community did not even believe that children could technically have Depression. This makes no sense to me.
I think that many ppl later dx as BP look back and realize that they had many BP symptoms even as a child, but people rarely took children to pdocs 20 years + ago, or the behavior was written off as ADHD or a phase, etc. until adolescence can along, and then it may have been written off as *puberty*
I think life, in general, is speeded up these days, with kids on computers and cell phones, video games, stressed out parents, no down time to just be a kid, not be mention the additives in our food nowadays, plus ppl are more likely to seek professional help.
All these things contribute to more and younger diagnosis.
I am not a big fan of putting very young kids on psych meds for adults. I think diet and nutrition should be addressed first, as well as family therapy, and as a last resort, minimal medication.

the damage a misdiagnosis would do, though.

I understand esp w/o having kids how you would question it but I can assure you that when it is your child in pain and helpless and scared and the alternative even at 10 yrs old could be death meds do not look so bad.I do not know why he became sick so young or why he planned his hanging a few weeks ago or why he hears things or sees things or has paranoia or intrusive thoughts.I wish I could take it all away and he would not be sick or need meds.Meds are scarey but finding him dead is alot scarier.:( Please try to understand I cannot speak for all mommies of BP kids but I DO NOT want mine to have to take meds or be sick or have a lable BUT I also do not want him to suffer or die and I know that I get persecuted for his illness and our choice to medicate all the time.It is just a hard call to make if it is not staring you in the face.I do understand though esp as a BP person myself.We tend to know the dangers of meds and not want other esp those so young to have to deal with them.

The mis DX of a grown up is also very damaging. Not that it is in anyway worse then that of a child, but in my case my husband was mis Dx and now we are paying the consequeces of it. Marriage, money, and my kids happiness are all gone! Because of the way people are brought up, he doesn't want the label of BP or any mental illness. Very sad:(

Yes ppl tend to shy way from the whole label thing.I think esp w/ some adults that they may have been "labeled" bad kids or troubled teens or learning disabled due to mis or no diagnosis and fear another label.They just accept their life and their ups and downs and internalize.I think that that is another plus when you can catch it young .You can teach kids that there is nothing bad or wrong with them it is a medical condition and has to be dealt with.They may have hurdles other ppl do not have but they can be dealt with.

I was diagnosed young (17)..You can teach someone it's 'just a condition' all you like, fact is there is an enormous amount of stigma against mental illness & the prognosis is not great for sth like BP....it's a helluva lot to come to terms with when young & your identity is still forming.

of course it is Lou. I don't think anyone disagrees with you there. I think I was misdiagnosed from the age of 11 until age 38. Who knows how differently my life might have gone if I had been properly treated in childhood. Years of misery could possibly have been prevented.

BUT if it is there and isn't going anywhere you cannot ignore it and act like it does not exist.I think education is key in overcoming any illness or any stigma .If I teach him now that he can succeed and he can function and he is just as good as everyone else,just as smart and just as wonderful then he may not grow up broken and ashamed or stigmatized.He has nothing to be stigmatized over.He CANNOT help having this disease and CANNOT help the ignorance of other ppl who may not accept him or his disease.If he knows that up front he is better off. He needs to get this AS his identity is forming.It is part of him and always will be and for me not to prepare him for the REAL world and the challenges he may face would be irresponsible on my part and a huge disservice to him.For me to not medicate or treat him b/c someone may label him is equal to child abuse.He is sick, he is hurt and he needs medication to cure that to me it is a no brainer.