I have bipolar and it really kicked up when I got my period. I knew it was more than hormones. I was so depressed I could barely move. I was so angry I could barely speak to anyone or look anyone in the eye. I raged and screamed. I didn't want to go to school or see my friends. I had a very rocky teen years because nobody knew about bipolar in kids back then. I knew something was wrong with me. My defiance was way over-the-top of "normal" teen rebellion. Fortunately, I also had anxiety disorder and was afraid to abuse drugs, or I would have done it to make myself level off a bit. If it seems "over the top" it probably is more than ADHD or typical teen rebellion. Since the suicide rate in bipolar is very high, especially untreated, it is important to figure out if your child has it. 60% of all people with bipolar will try suicide and 1 in 5 will succeed. I had suicidal ideation from early on. I'm stable on meds now, but I was a ver difficult child (much like many kids here) and the teen years threw everything into the air. I was miserable. Your kids who drive you crazy are not happy kids just trying to annoy you. Trust me, they wish they could stop. ADHD is very often the first diagnosis before a child has a bp diagnosis. Makes sense because mania activates you. Many bipolar kids hold it in at shcool and lose it at home. Mood disorders or substance abuse in the family are big red flags for bipolar in children. You need a child psychiatrist for a diagnosis. A therapist can't diagnose a medical psychiatric disorder. NEVER blindly trust a professional. If you think he is wrong, seek out a second opinion. The average person with bipolar has to wait TEN YEARS from the time they go for help until finally getting rightly diagnosed and on the right sort of meds (mood stabilizers). My son is PDD-NOS and his diagnosis seemed wrong so we dug deeper. It can be costly to not trust your own gut. If you're afraid of hearing "it's not ADHD, it's bipolar" it is more dangerous not to know it. ADHD does not incite suicidal thinking, according to the ADHD vs. Bipolar charts. Bipolar kids may say "I want to kill myself" from a very young age. I know I did. I meant it too up until I got stable. I tried it a few times. Here is a link to a site for early onset bipolar (message board and all)
Here is another good site for all disorders
www.ConductDisorders.com
psm090438482.2023263889i don't think you do know the difference----let's take a guess how about tests? questionares you fill out at the dr.s office,family history of depression, bi-polar behavior---not feeling yourself---i wonder if the dr. really knows,or just wants to prescribe medicine because of insurance money. let me rephrase the first part----i don't know one knows the difference. i guess we take the dr.s word for it and trust them with a diagnosis. How does one no the difference?