A came across a blog written by a psychologist that spoke to me. He was writing about a training he went to on childhood bipolar. When I was working in an inpatient facility for youth I was shocked at how many kids came into my facility with a diagnosis of bipolar, even though they did not meet the diagnostic criteria and clearly had other issues going on. I have previously written on the controversy of bipolar disorder and its diagnosis in childhood. What got me about the blog was that this psychologist was bringing to light some concerns that many … Continue reading →

As I was reading through older blogs to see what has been covered I came across one on bipolar that caught my eye. Bipolar has become an interesting phenomenon in the mental health world. It used to be known as “Manic-Depressive Disorder” and was considered to be rare. Then the new diagnostic criteria came out, and all of a sudden I started seeing it diagnosed more and more. I started hearing “I’m Bipolar” as a reason for behaviors. Children started carrying the label, even though they truly did not meet the full diagnostic criteria. My colleagues and I started questioning … Continue reading →

I was talking to a co-worker the other day and we were discussing a teenage client who has extreme mood swings. One minute he’s happy go lucky, joking and laughing, the next he’s angry at the world and wants to hurt someone. “I’m guessing he’s Bipolar ,” my peer said. I just rolled my eyes. Often people will say things like this when dealing with moody people. After all, most know that people who suffer from Bipolar Disorder have extreme ups and extreme downs. The misconception that most people have is that these ups and downs happen quickly, like mood … Continue reading →