How do you know if your child is bipolar....?

The doctors give lists of intese questionnaires and a 10 year old cannot give proper answers. Is the parent responsible to answer for the child? Do psychiatrists have other methods of diagnosing?

How do you know if your child is bipolar....?
You may not have to answer for your child, but you may want to help them complete the questionnaires of understand the questions. You can also comment on any behavior that you've observed. Meaning, we wouldn't expect you to say, "He's been feeling depressed" because you can't really know that. But you can say, "He had an outburst and punched a hole in the wall."


Parents who suspect that their child has bipolar disorder (or any psychiatric illness) should take daily notes of their child's mood, behavior, sleep patterns, unusual events, and statements by the child of concern to the parents. Share these notes with the doctor making the evaluation and with the doctor who eventually treats your child. Some parents fax or e-mail a copy of their notes to the doctor before each appointment.





Because children with bipolar disorder can be charming and charismatic during an appointment, they initially may appear to a professional to be functioning well. Therefore, a good evaluation takes at least two appointments and includes a detailed family history.





As far as the symptoms of bipolar in a child, the illness may look different in children than it does in adults. Children usually have an ongoing, continuous mood disturbance that is a mix of mania and depression. This rapid and severe cycling between moods produces chronic irritability and few clear periods of wellness between episodes.


Behaviors reported by parents in children diagnosed with bipolar disorder may include:





an expansive or irritable mood


extreme sadness or lack of interest in play


rapidly changing moods lasting a few hours to a few days


explosive, lengthy, and often destructive rages


separation anxiety


defiance of authority


hyperactivity, agitation, and distractibility


sleeping little or, alternatively, sleeping too much


bed wetting and night terrors


strong and frequent cravings, often for carbohydrates and sweets


excessive involvement in multiple projects and activities


impaired judgment, impulsivity, racing thoughts, and pressure to keep talking


dare-devil behaviors (such as jumping out of moving cars or off roofs)


inappropriate or precocious sexual behavior


delusions and hallucinations


grandiose belief in own abilities that defy the laws of logic (ability to fly, for example)
Reply:How can you answer for the child if you are not the one being asked the questions? You would be answering what you THINK is the right answer but not necessarily IS. What do you mean by the comment 'a ten year old cannot give proper answers' I know a lot of clever 10 year olds who speak well. I would leave it up to someone in mental health to diagnose your child, if you are unhappy with the way doctor's diagnose. However you should never assume a child has a disorder, I find it horrific that so many children are diagnosed with this that and the other yet have really nothing wrong with them. Only recently have doctors started saying that not all people who hear voices have a mental problem. What makes you believe your child may have bipolar disorder?
Reply:Bipolar disorder is intense mood swings. If you notice your child is depressed or goes off to be by his/her self at times and at other times is hyper or manic, that's bipolar. There are fantastic meds out today. You know your child best, just tell the doc how your child behaves. Good luck.
Reply:You need to talk to a Pediatric psychiatrist. There are so many different things that can be going on with a child...and don't be afraid to get more than one opinion!! Best wishes %26amp; good luck.
Reply:Bipolar: Psychology Relating to a major affective disorder that is characterized by episodes of mania and depression.





It is pretty simple.


Does your kid go from one extreme to the other? I mean is the child really happy excited, then go straight to not saying anything and closed off?





Does there seem to be no middle-ground? Just Highs and Lows?
Reply:I'm not to sure what types of tests they do to make a diagnosis. Also, i understand that many are hesitant about testing/diagnosing, young children.


as far as the questionnaire, (ask dr of course,) Iwouldnt think they expect a ten y.o. to be capable of answering ALL of the things that they are asking, (many adults are not capable). So you GO FROM THERE!


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Good Luck!