How can you tell if there is something wrong with a 6 yr old?

Question

I have been to a Dr and he said it might be ADHD or Bi-Poral!
What is the diffance? How can I help the Dr, narrow it down to one?

Thanks so much let me tell you a little more!
We do not eat that much sugar, infact the only sugar we eat if from our foods like furt and veg, posta and stuff like that. I do not let them have anything like candy or cokes.
He does have mood swings very bad, like las night we was having family night and everone was having a good time watching movie. then all of a sudden he just stared screeming at the top of his lungs "I hate you all I want to die" that lasted for about 3 hours then he stopped and started laughing. When I asked him about it he said "I did not do that, i was a sleep, until you woke me up." He has done this more them once. At school he fights the teachers and very mean to others, he has also had a little girl and tried to stick his finger in her. He is out of control. We go to church every wed.sun. and sometime we take ext time out during the week to go to the nursing homes to help them. He has never been abused, he has never been taught to do these things.

Answer 1

This is not my field of expertise, but I do know that ADHD causes children to be extremely exciteable and full of energy. They cannot pay attention to anything for prolonged periods of time.

Bi polar on the other hand is more defined by mood swings. The person will be happy one minute and very sad and depressed the next. These are EXTREME mood swings and not the ordinary mood swings that most people experience.

Bi polar is by far the harder one to treat. Most people have ADHD to some extent and it can be dealt with rather easily compared to Bi polar.

Bi polar is a lifetime disorder and can be very hard to deal with...for the family and for the person.

Hope that helps! God bless.

http://www.lookgreat-loseweight-savemoney.com

I just read the answer above mine and I know for a fact that bi polar can happen to children of any age. My brother was bi polar all his life and committed suicide at 19. I also had a boyfriend who had a 12 year old son that suffered from it.

Answer 2

ADHD is when your kid is hyper and can't focus for long on any one thing.
Bi-Polar or manic/depress disorder is quite different. In bi-polar a person will go through a period of depression (listless, sleeps alot, low energy and general dissatisfaction with the world). Over a period of days or weeks this pattern will change. All of a sudden the person goes for long periods of time without sleep, or very little. They feel on top of the world, life is great but everyone in it is an idiot. The manic person is delusional, thinking they have all the answers. Quite often they will do things they would never normally do - start swearing, or smoking, or drinking, spending money like they are millionaires and generally acting very irratic, and then it's gone and a horrible depression will come over the person, some to the point of suicide.
The bi-polar person is generally only hyper when in a manic state, so look for the difference, an ADHD has hyperactivity as a constant.
Many people with bi-polar are diagnosed with depression because that is when the Dr.'s see them, they do not seek help when in a manic state, as they don't recognize they are manic, and life is good when in that frame of mind. It is unfortunate as these people end up on drugs that can actually induce a manic state and the Dr. is unaware of it.
If you can I would suggest documenting your childs ups and downs. How long do periods of unhappiness last and are they followed by periods of extreme activity and delusional thinking (the manic person thinks they can do anything).
I can understand how hard it is to diagnose a child especially when it comes to bi-polar as it is hard to diagnose in an adult. Good luck, I hope this helped a little.

Answer 3

ADHD is just kind of consistently hyper and unfocused and can often be caused by too much sugar in the diet.
Bi Polar is drastic one end and the other with no warning, like super happy and then BAM! frantic screaming and sad,angry for no reason!

Bi-Polar usually isnt seen in children... its one of those things that shows up in the early 20's or 30's even and is usually passed mother to child.

I would be he's just a hyper 6 year old who metabolism doesnt know whats going on as he grows, try a diet change and I'll be surprised if you dont see a difference.

Answer 4

Children with ADHD are *not* always hyper - as some of the comments listed below state. And symptoms of early-onset bipolar disorder can be very similar to those of attention deficit disorder in children. There are also many other disorders with similar symptoms. Diagnosis can be tricky - but a correct diagnosis can be crucial, especially considering that standard treatments for ADHD can make a bipolar child worse.

I suggest checking out the resources I have listed below, and finding a mental health professional in your area that has experience in treating young children with bipolar.

Good luck.

Here is a website with a list of disorders that look like ADHD in kids:

http://www.angelfire.com/home/bphoenix1/look.html

and here is some info on the symptoms of early-onset bipolar disorder:

http://www.angelfire.com/home/bphoenix1/child.html

Answer 5

Bioploar is hard to find in childrenthat young.
ADHD means that the kid is always hyper active like there's an on swich that never turns off.
Biopolar is when one has really bad mood swings. Like all happy one moment then mad the next for no reason.

Answer 6

The previous answers are correct. I just wanted to say be very careful with treatment. The best treatment is therapy. Watch out for doctors and their "magic" pills, some are very useful but you have to watch out for side effects. So far straterra and concerta which my son takes have been good. But he was on a different one in the beginning and for some reason I can't think of the name, but anyways it caused ALOT of weight gain. If you gain alot of weight when you are a kid, you can be teased, not feel good about yourself, or even health-wise not feel good and that can lead to depression. Before you let them prescribe anything to your child get all the facts. Remember sometimes kids outgrow things so depending on how long it has been going on and how extreme it is, you are the mother and you always know best for your child. But counseling never hurt anything, it may be all you need, there could just be something bothering him/her and he/she doesn't know how to express it. Doctors are too quick to prescribe meds and once they are on them then their body gets used to it and they will probably always need to be on them. Best of luck!!!

Answer 7

6 yrs is quite young for bi-polar but, it can happen. my guess is that it's some kind of mix. my son was considered kind of a mixed bi-polar. you could try keeping a ledger or things that occur during the day. it may help to weed out things. there is a book called "the bi-polar child". check it out. you may find some similarities. it is a bit older but i think the same thing still applies.

Answer 8

Is it possible your child is showing early signs of psychpathy?

Characteristics of a Psychopath

superficial charm

self-centered & self-important

need for stimulation & prone to boredom

deceptive behavior & lying

conning & manipulative

little remorse or guilt

shallow emotional response

callous with a lack of empathy

living off others or predatory attitude

poor self-control

promiscuous sexual behavior

early behavioral problems

lack of realistic long term goals

impulsive lifestyle

irresponsible behavior

blaming others for their actions

short term relationships

juvenile delinquency

breaking parole or probation

varied criminal activity