Could a seven yr old be manic depressive? I'm wondering if I should have her evaluated or monitor her diet?

Question

one minute,she is bursting with joy,hungry wants a snack,gets a snack and 10 min later says she has a headache and lies on the couch.20 min later she is running around the living room with her 3 yr old sibling screeching and laughing..? I've noticed her in social/school situations and she's a little awkward and distant at times and others right there with everyone....am I reading too much into this?

Answer 1

seems that you know that the diet of your seven years old is not good,
well you know better, is good to have the same time for eat every day and portion of meal everyday too :)
what type of snack are you giving, sugar make them HYPEr too .is your weven year old is eating enough veggies? carbohidratos ? etc.
IT seems she has everything she need to have every day and keep acting wierd, then take her to a doctor

Answer 2

Your daughter could just be fine. I would continue to monitor her behaviour and if you notice any extreme swings in behaviour contact a professional. Depression often presents itself differenty in children. They become angry and lash out, rather than withdrawing the way adults do. You daughter actually sounds like a normal child although perhaps a little guarded in new situations which is to be expected. I wish you luck and hope everything is ok because children do in fact suffer from depression and it is often overlooked because adults don't understand what a child could possible feel sad about.

Answer 3

Probably not. Yes, watch her diet and get her evaluated. If there is a problem, the sooner you get it diagnosed and treated the better. You might want to keep the closest eye on her snacks, since you say she gets headaches about 10 minutes after having one.

Good luck!

Answer 4

Sounds like she needs more attention, guidance and discipline. Or a change in diet if you're feeding her crap like donuts, processed cereal, chemical-laden snacks, etc. And you might want to take a look at your lifestyle- if you're a divorced/single working mom without a husband/father and are too busy, that could have a huge impact on the child's sense of development.

Answer 5

Being bi-polar doesn't mean that your moods change so frequently. This is more of a medical concern, you should make an appointment with her pediatrician. The headache concerns me. I don't think you are reading too much into, I think that you are looking at the wrong page-know what I mean. Get her checked out so you can both feel better.

Answer 6

There is early onset bipolar disorder but it's hard to pinpoint what a child may or may not have b/c practically all of the signs of all disorders are alike. My child was diagnosed as ADHD, then to ODD, then bipolar, then they were leaning towards aspbergers (sp?) syndrome. Finally, we took him to get a brain scan and found that it was simply that a part of his brain wasn't functioning correctly, and believe it or not he was cured by a computer program that stimulated that part of the brain to begin functioning properly. I recommend a brain scan to be done for all parents dealing with children that could have possible mental disorders. I wish I had known about that prior to spending 5 years of our lives in and out of all the many doctors offices and subjecting him to all of those medications that weren't actually needed.He is on medication now but we know that it is treating his particular diagnosis and not treating "possibilities".

Answer 7

Yes, you should bring it to the attention of her pediatric physician. She probably isn't manic depressed but it could be diabetes or another disease. Your doctor will be able to order blood work and determine what is wrong.
You aren't reading too much into it, it better to have her check out now than worry and things could get worse.

God Bless.

Answer 8

I wouldn't necessarily say manic depressive..... but I would have her evaluated. Talk to her family doctor and see if they can refer you to a phsycologist or psychiatrist for in depth testing and evaluation. It's better to have her tested while she's still young than to wait until she's in high school and it's too late.

Answer 9

PLEASE listen to me. DO NOT take her to a psychiatrist.
DO NOT, DO NOT, DO NOT! It could potentially ruin her life.
A psychiatrist WILL gauranteed diagnose her with something and he will want to medicate her for life. The stigma will follow her around for life. It will impact her future job prospects, relationships.... everything. She's probably a normal kid.... just going through a hyperactive stage or something.
Before considering a psychiatrist, read this:
http://hdlighthouse.org/see/drugs/antipsychotics.htm
http://antipsychiatry.org/
http://antipsychiatry.org/lawson.htm
Seriously... DO NOT TAKE HER TO A PSYCHIATRIST!
My mother got me involved with them when I was sixteen.
They have told me that I have bipolar, body dismorphic, bio-schizo... borderline personality disorder.... IT IS ALL BS!
I have never been depressed and never been manic.
Take it from someone who knows. I've seen it all for the last fourteen years. Psychiatrists WILL ruin your daughters life.
Let her go through what she is going through.
If you HAVE to take her to someone.... take her to a psychologist but NEVER a psychiatrist.

Answer 10

It could be symptoms of ADD also. Mood swings are common with that. Is there anyone else in the family with anxiety disorders, like obsessive compulsive disorder or Tourette syndrome? All of these fall in the same category.