Paediatric bipolar disorder
Paediatric bipolar disorder
Manic-Depressive disorder also known as Bipolar disorder is a serious Mood disorder which affects people of all ages. Those who are affected with Bipolar disorder often experience unusual and extreme mood changes which swing between depression and mania. Due to the vast variance in moods, Bipolar disorder can seriously impair the normal functioning and this is when the condition becomes a serious mental condition. For years mental health professionals considered Bipolar disorder to be an adult-onset condition. However recently there has been increasing controversy regarding Paediatric Bipolar disorder. This refers to Bipolar disorder which starts in childhood instead of the generally accepted late teenage or early adulthood. There are several reasons for this controversy, the biggest being the confusion regarding the symptoms manifested in Paediatric Bipolar disorder. Unlike adult-onset Bipolar disorder, the symptoms of Paediatric Bipolar disorder often coincide with other childhood-onset disorders like Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder, Oppositional Defiance disorder, etc. Hence the controversy is how to diagnose Paediatric Bipolar disorder correctly. There are a lot of experts who believe that children who have temper outbursts, severe irritability, emotional instability, extreme moodiness and aggressiveness etc should be treated for Paediatric Bipolar disorder. However a lot of other experts feel that there could be a chance for overdiagnosis and thus it is necessary to narrow down the definition for Paediatric Bipolar disorder. Another difficulty with diagnosing Paediatric Bipolar disorder is that a lot of other factors can produce similar symptoms in children including severe emotional trauma like physical or sexual abuse. These can lead to mood swings, emotional outbursts, aggressiveness, and even sexualised behaviour which can be found in an adult manic episode. Unlike adult-onset Bipolar disorder, Paediatric Bipolar disorder children experience primarily mixed states (mania and depression) as well as some rapid cycling (mood swings). There is also evidence that children experience more depressive episodes instead of mania and even if there is a manic episode, there are more symptoms of aggressiveness and irritability instead of euphoria and cheerfulness. There is also evidence that the symptoms of Bipolar disorder seem to change as children grow older. However since a lot of symptoms of Paediatric Bipolar disorder are similar to ADHD/ADD, parents, teachers and other caregivers should be aware and be able to differentiate between mood and behavioural disorders. The primary difference is that ADHD/ADD does not involve any mood symptoms such as depression or euphoria which is a sign of Bipolar disorder. A child with ADHD/ADD will also be able to sleep once he settles down in bed while Paediatric Bipolar disorder includes symptoms of decreased sleep (mania) without the child getting tired or sleepy the next day. Finally a family history helps as Bipolar disorder is attributed to genetic factors.