Pediatric Bipolar Disorder: Symptoms Resembling Other Illnesses

It is not uncommon for a healthy child to have moments of not staying still, dealing with frustration and failing to control impulses. In order to diagnose a bipolar disorder however, adult criteria must be met. There are no set criteria for a child in The Diagnostic and Statistic Manual IV (DSM-IV), which is the model used when diagnosing bipolar disorder. While the DSM-IV manual requires a distinct period of persistently elevated, expansive, or irritable moods lasting through at least four days, around seventy percent of children with bipolar disorder have mood swings several times a day (About Pediatric Bipolar Disorder). While it is difficult to diagnose bipolar disorder in children because the symptoms may resemble other illnesses, early intervention and treatment is the best possible alternative to give children the full potential to succeed and minimize the effects that the illness may have. The dictionary definition of bipolar disorder is any of several mood disorders usually characterized by alternating episodes of depression and mania or by episodes of depression alternating with mild nonpsychotic excitement (Medical Dictionary). Exactly what does that mean? It means that it is a medical condition in which a person will experience extreme highs and lows in his or her moods. There are four different types of bipolar disorder which helps to categorize patients based on their symptoms. The four types of bipolar disorder are Bipolar I, Bipolar II, Cyclothymia, and Bipolar – NOS. Bipolar I is where the child experiences intense alternating episodes of mania and depression. Bipolar II is where the child will experience episodes of hypomania between recurring periods of depression. Cyclothymia is a form of the disorder in which there are definite mood swings, but the periods are less severe. Finally, Bipolar – NOS, which stands for “not otherwise specified”, is used as a catch all. This is where doctors classify a patient with bipolar disorder but

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