Diagnosing Bipolar Symptoms in Children Can Be Difficult

Symptoms of bipolar disorder in children have had varying degrees of seriousness. In most cases, it can be quite difficult to detect the symptoms of the disorder in children or adolescents as they can often be confused with other issues such as hyperactivity, attention deficit or even allergies. It can also be misconstrued as other things in adults especially if they use alcohol or drugs.

Once commonly known as Manic Depression, studies suggest that its hereditary and environmental is primarily due to a shortage of Serotonin which is a natural occurring chemical that balances and controls moods. Because of the shortage of serotonin, extreme mood swings are the primary symptoms. However, there are other things to look out for as the disorder is known to have four phases.

The Four Phases Along With the Typical Symptoms of Bipolar Disorder:

Mania or Manic, Hypomania, Depression and Mixed episode are the four phases or moods that are split on each side of normal and balanced moods that most people vary little from. They can vary in degrees, and some people are more prone to episodes of mania over depression or vice versa, but some can alternate frequently or infrequently between the two sides of normal.

People have extreme energy and euphoria in the manic or mania stage. They tend to talk fast and seem hyperactive in general.

In the hypomania phase, it is a less severe form of the mania phase, but they live their everyday life in a way that outsiders describe as an overly happy person, so it is harder to recognize, but sometimes the impulsive tendency comes through, and they can go into a full blown manic episode at some point.

During the depression phase, people are likely to sleep more, gain weight, contain higher irritability and unpredictable mood swings mostly involving guilt and may lose touch with reality.

A mixture of high energy with a depressed mood is what is experienced in the mixed emotion phase. It is usually a combination of anxiety mixed with racing thoughts.

Typical Symptoms of Bipolar in Children:

Irritability, frequent mood swings, hyperactivity and impulsivity, restlessness and fidgeting are included as some of the distinctive symptoms of bipolar in children which are similar to the four phases.

Studies show that a staggering 80% of bipolar children may come from families where both parents were either alcoholics or may have had bipolar disorder themselves.

Symptoms of bipolar n children often fit into the guidelines set out for diagnosing ADHD (Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) and therefore is not recognized until later in life.

To Wrap It Up:

The fact that episodes of bipolar in children will get worse in time means that it is very crucial to diagnose bipolar symptoms to be made as early as possible.