What age do children have to be to have bipolar?

Question

The reason I ask this is because I have a 8 yr old son who has ADHD and since they won't say he has bipolar we will say mood disorder instead.. yea right they don't live with him..Anyway if they can't be put under that disorder till a certain age then why are they put on the bipolar medications?? Isn't Bipolar a mood disorder?? Whats the diffrence?
Also why can't they just use the term childhood bipolar?

Answer 1

Why are you so trying to on "put" a label on your son? Children tend to reflect the behavior of the parents, and do you pay attention to your son? Also do you "spank" or abuse your son that will have a great impact on any child's behavior. Look at what is going on in his life is he getting everything that he needs? Is he board? ask him how he feels and what he needs. Children need love, attention and positive reinforcement to be happy and to develop properly.

Forget about these stupid mental disorder labels and work with your son and show him love pills don't make you happy love and attention do. Give your son the gift of a chance at life and give him the basics and teach him how to live. I don't really expect you to take my advice but I felt I should warn you you are headed for disaster with the frame of mind you are in. I hope he survives puberty at the rate he is going he will probably be on here as many other kids are asking "I am depressed and I don't know why am I bi-polar" or asking about how to stop cutting and suicide. I have been where your son is and trust me you need to start loving him he is your son your baby don't give up now. My mom and you sound very similar at least as I can remember I haven't spoken to her in 5 years.

Answer 2

A diagnosis of a mood disorder means that a child has mood symptoms but does not meet DSM-IV criteria for depression or bipolar disorder. They often call this diagnosis "Mood Disorder Not Otherwise Specified."

Bipolar disorder is beginning to be diagnosed much more frequently in children, and that is not a good thing. They're also medicating them with mood stablizing drugs such as Lithium much more frequently nowadays, which is also NOT a good thing.

Yes, Bipolar IS a mood disorder. But it's a very complicated and severe one that involves two very distinct states: mania and depression. Mania is characterized by behaviors that go beyond childhood (pre-pubescent) hyperactivity. They involve almost no need for sleep, irrational goal-directed activity, grandiosity, sometimes even paranoia. Depressive states often involve hypersomnia, depressed mood, weight gain, fatigue, lack of concentration, and sometimes more irritability. These two states are not realistically things that hyperactive, impulsive children even have the CAPACITY to experience in the way that we see in true cases of Bipolar Disorder.

Another concern is that few adults with Bipolar have mixed or rapid cycling between depressive and manic states. They often have Bipolar 1, the most severe kind, or 2, which is typically less severe manic episodes (hypomania). We see few adults with rapid/mixed cycling. But in children, Bipolar 1 in its true form (long manic episodes followed by long depressive episodes) is extremely rare. I honestly think Bipolar is being overdiagnosed in children.

So then why are they medicated with Bipolar medications?

1) Mood stablizers WORK. Like a tranquilizer gun.
2) $

Many many children have mood disorders to go along with the extremely common ADHD diagnosis. But mood problems in children are very different than Bipolar Disorder. The reason the numbers of diagnoses in children is spiking is beyond me, but it's troubling. There's no real cut-off age, but I think the diagnosis should never be made in pre-pubescent children, ever.

Answer 3

Children with bipolar disorder do not often meet the strict DSM-IV definition. In pediatric cases, the cycling can occur very quickly (see section above on rapid cycling)

Children with bipolar disorder tend to have rapid-cycling or mixed-cycling. Rapid cycling occurs when the cycles between depression and mania occur quickly, sometimes within the same day or the same hour. When the symptoms of both mania and depression occur simultaneously, mixed cycling occurs.

Often other psychiatric conditions are diagnosed in bipolar children. These other diagnoses may be concurrent problems, or they may be misdiagnosed as bipolar disorder. Depression, ADHD, ODD, schizophrenia, and Tourette syndrome are common comorbid conditions. Furthermore some children with histories of abuse or neglect may have Bipolar I Disorder. There is a high comborbidity between Reactive attachment disorder and Bipolar I Disorder with about 50% of children in the Child Welfare System who have Reactive Attachment Disorder also have Bipolar I Disorder

Misdiagnosis can lead to incorrect medication.

Before the DSM-III, bipolar disorder had been considered as a disease of adults or those who have past their puberty. Various studies found that childhood bipolar exist; it is simply difficult to diagnose

Answer 4

hmmm, i think you should ask a scientologist. they will tell you all you need to know.