What Is Pediatric Bipolar Disorder?
Bipolar Disorder is a neurobiological brain disorder. It was formerly called manic-depression. Until about 20 years ago, most doctors did not believe children could have Bipolar, and this is still an issue of some controversy. However, as more research is done and the information from that research is distributed, more and more doctors are becoming familiar with Pediatric Bipolar Disorder. Pediatric Bipolar is also known as EOBP (Early Onset Bipolar) and COBP (Childhood Onset Bipolar).
How Is It Different Than Adult Bipolar?
Pediatric Bipolar starts in childhood or infancy, whereas adult Bipolar can have an onset at any age, most commonly early 20s and 30s. Because Pediatric Bipolar has only recently come to the attention of clinicians and researchers, they are not entirely sure what will happen with a child who has BP... what they will be like as adults. "Classic" symptoms of Bipolar such as running up credit card debt do not apply, since most kids don't have credit cards. The symptoms express themselves in more age appropriate ways, such as insatiable urges to buy gifts for other people or other impulsive money handling. Also another possible expression of this would be the compulsive collection of every receipt, every paper, every bottle cap, every piece of trash. Many researchers believe that Pediatric Bipolar is a more severe form of illness than adult onset Bipolar
Where Does Pediatric Bipolar Disorder
Come From?
Good Question! Geneticists have found many genes that have some effect on Bipolar and Schizophrenia, and there may be more yet undiscovered. It appears there is a genetic predisposition to Bipolar, yet some go on to develop the disease, and others do not. Stress and Other environmental factors also play a part, and can trigger onset or episodes, but the exact nature of the relationship to environment and genetics is yet to be defined. This is NOT to say Pediatric Bipolar is a parenting problem! It is a medical problem much like diabetes, with genetic and environmental factors which are not yet fully understood.
How Is Pediatric Bipolar Disorder
Treated?
Bipolar Disorder is treated through the use of medications and environmental interventions. Medication is the first line of defense. Stress reduction is important, as is learning to recognize and manage symptoms appropriately, and therapy can at times be an asset. Each individual treatment won't work for everyone, so it's a process of trial and error to find what works for each person. Because there is still so much to learn about how and why Bipolar develops, there is no one "right answer" for treatment. Treatment guidelines can help decide the next best course of treatment. What's right is what works for your child.
How Can You Tell Pediatric Bipolar from
Other Physical or Mental Illnesses?
It really takes a skilled practitioner and usually observation over time to make a firm diagnosis. Symptoms often develop over time, and it may be impossible to have a "firm" diagnosis for a child, but a working diagnosis can be developed and the child can be treated to improve quality of life. There is a significant body of research about the Kindling Theory that indicates that the more episodes a person has that are unchecked by interventions or treatment, the more difficult it is to treat.
Where Can I Find A Good Doctor?
It has been our experience that the best psychiatric evaluations for children and teens are usually found at major teaching universities.
Will My Child Get Well?
Of all the questions, this is the one for which we wish we had a definitive answer, but unfortunately, we do not. There are a portion of children and adults with Bipolar who do not respond to medication or environmental interventions enough to live the life they were expecting before the onset of symptoms or diagnosis. Many of these children do respond enough to be better, if not well. There is no cure yet for Bipolar, but most everyone can be helped to some degree. There is also new research all the time, and soon we may have a cure or at least more effective treatments that help everyone not just some.
Crackerjack, Curlywhirly and Wickedpenmeister (2003)(2004)
