Can a child that is shaken develop Bipolar disorder?

Question

My nephew was shaken by his a**hole father at the age of 2 1/2. At the time we din't notice any permanent damage done but he is now 8 years old and he is showing symptoms of Bipolar disorder. I have read up on the topic and everywhere that I have read it states that it most likely caused by a certain gene and they think it can be passed down. No one in my family has bipolar disorder and I was wondering if the damage was caused by him being shaken?

Okay no premature diagnosis being done by me.....his mom took him to several doctors and they all say different things. One says that he has ADHD, another says that he is just coping with being the youngest of 3 boys and is up against his brothers for mom's attention, another says bipolar. she has tried him on several medications and they all turn him into a zombie he doesn't eat and he just sits in one spot. we are not trying to diagnose just need a little feedback on probable causes for different disorders.

Answer 1

I have multiple head injuries, one of which was from shaken baby syndrome. My first suggestion is to get him in to see a qualified psychiatrist to be evaluated. Tell him/her about being shaken as a baby so that that fact can be considered. I say that because I had symptoms of schizoaffective disorder and I was erroneously treated for it. I had a new doctor reevaluate my case and he changed my medication and my diagnosis as having psychiatric problems secondary to head injury. I would especially suspect that where you say that he is having behavioral problems.

In a coup/contra coup head injury, the front of the brain strikes the bony ridge of the skull causing an insult. The frontal lobe involves impulse control. If your nephew is having problems with impulse control, it may be/have been a result of injury to the frontal lobe due to shaken baby syndrome. And it is treated differently than bipolar. I am speaking from experience, so print this answer out and bring it with you to the psychiatrist. If either you or he have any more questions, I will talk to you about it and even work on connecting his psychiatrist with mine as my psychiatrist has specific experience with head injury(ies). My e-mail and IM address is on my profile. I hope things work out and I hope that may be of help in this matter. Hang in there!

Answer 2

Bipolar disorder is very difficult to diagnose in children. The average age of onset is 20 years old, for both men and women.

I agree with the previous comment; seek professional evaluation rather than diagnose the situation yourself. Closed-head injuries, such as being shaken, can cause deficits of mental faculties; but this requires extensive psychological and psychiatric evaluation. A specialized discipline, known as neuropsychology, can probably offer more insight to the extent of damage done by the closed-head injury.

The Bipolar disorder is very controversial. Be suspicious of your readings that claim to know without a doubt the explanation of the disorder. To this day, it is debated on its manifestation, prognosis, and origins. It begs the age-old question of nature versus nurture.

The best answers you could get about this would come from a neuropsychological evaluation. Kudos for taking lead and watching out for the child's best interest. Treatment could make a huge positive impact in the rest of his life.

Answer 3

He's 8 years old! Have you actually taken him to a couple of professionals to get this diagnosed? If not, stop playing psychiatrist and get to a doctor and then get about 3 second opinions.

Most people with bipolar disorder have found a relative that has bipolar, but not everyone who suffers from the disorder has a family member with it. Genes are a little bit more complex than that and bipolar disorder doesn't happen simply because of genes, but enviromental stressors as well. That means that the genes could have been hiding for years in your family history.

Can shaking cause bipolar? Maybe, but it's more likely that having a pair of abusive shitheads for parents would cause enough stress to bring out a mental disorder. (I say both because if the child's mother is still with the father, she's just as bad as him)

Answer 4

No I doubt the chemical imbalances from Bi Polar disorder could stem from SBS.

On another note, do what you can to help him now. A percentage of people with Bi Polar have no family members with it, but seek psychiatric help immediately. Trust me if I got the help I need for Bi Polar 7 years ago, when I was 8, I would be a lot better off. But depression caused me to do a lot of stuff I wouldnt have otherwise done. (Smoking, Drugs, Cutting. Do you want this to potentionally happen in your kid?)

Also during one of my... Moods, I got pissed. Very. For no reason I just got angry. I shoved my best friend to the ground and beat the &*$# out of him, kicked him then stopped afterwards and asked myself why I did it.

I had no reason. I would deal with this disorder before he develops the desire/capability to hurt himself or others.

Good luck with it! It cannot be cured as of now, but get him on meds to deal with it. You may not like the idea but trust me, I think it would help a great deal. My parents are too damn lazy.

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Added-

I was under the impression he was diagnosed. There is something sketchy about that doctor.

I think he is OK the SBS not being a possibility. Don't stress just figure out the problem I doubt it is related to the shaking.

Answer 5

Did it ever occur to you that it may be his father that has the Bipolar disorder gene? That is, if your nephew indeed has Bipolar disorder.

Being shaken can definitely cause brain and nerve problems, so can abuse in general. Just about anything could be wrong with your nephew. He needs to be evaluated by professionals.

Answer 6

To label a child of 8 with Bi-polar is not on he's much too young for any such diagnosis.

I've never heard of Bi-Polar being caused by being shaken.

Bi-Polar disorder more commonly manifests late 20's - 30's and yes it is genetic, have you considered that he may have experienced some brain injury [a scan may show].

Or, God forbid! he may be just a naughty little boy.

Please avoid the amateur Psychiatry, love the boy & encourage his Mum to take him to a child specialist.