Tag Archives: bipolar

Little Girl on the Edge – Childhood Bipolar Disorder

Motherhood, for me, has been a journey with unexpected turns and frightening pitfalls. Little did I know when Cassidy first appeared on my doorstep the great challenges I would face being her stepmother. On that day, she looked up at me with a cherubic face, pink cheeks, and a welcoming smile. “Hello, my name is Cassidy,” she said brightly. “It’s very nice to meet you.” I didn’t know what childhood bipolar disorder looked like, but if I could have imagined it, this gorgeous little girl would not be its personification. Cassidy moved into my home at the age of six, … Continue reading →

“I’ve Given my Child the Family Illness!” (2)

In “I’ve Given my Child the Family Illness!” we looked at the role both genes and the environment play in determining whether a mental illness will be expressed in any given individual. Today we will look at how to cope with the guilt that some parents feel when they learn that a son or daughter has inherited a “family illness.” As previously discussed, it can be a natural reaction to blame yourself for the appearance of depression, anxiety, bipolar or any of the host of mental or physical disorders that have plagued humans for thousands of years. In dealing with … Continue reading →

The Frog Eraser Incident

Sometimes parenting is like standing in a dark room, feeling around for the light switch. This week I received a phone call from my stepdaughter *Cassidy’s teacher. An incident had occurred at school involving two little frog erasers. The teacher said that another girl in Cassidy’s fifth grade class found her beloved erasers missing, along with a sinister note, “HA HA I TOOK YOUR FROGS.” The frogs were later found in Cassidy’s desk. When questioned by several teachers, Cassidy couldn’t deny that she’d taken the frogs (having been caught “red-desked”) but insisted she had NOT written the note. The teacher … Continue reading →

Ten Ways to Help Your Child with Bipolar Disorder Succeed in School

Researchers are coming to the conclusion that a large number of children in the United States who were thought to have ADHD actually have early onset bipolar disorder. ADHD and early onset bipolar disorder are “look alikes” and can be misdiagnosed. There are many other ADHD look-alikes, which I will address in a future blog. The child with bipolar disorder can have difficulties in the public school system, for obvious reasons. Their mood swings, manic behaviors and depression can create obstacles to learning. A child with bipolar disorder should be in frequent contact with a caring child psychiatrist who can … Continue reading →

“I Wish I Were Never Born.” Symptoms of Bipolar Disorder in Children

Like many childhood mental disorders, bipolar can be extremely difficult to properly diagnose. This is because bipolar disorder, which is sometimes called mania or manic depression, can mimic the symptoms of other disorders. Bipolar disorder may present with symptoms similar to conduct disorder or attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Also, childhood bipolar disorder can manifest itself very differently from the symptoms we typically see in adults with the condition. In order for the diagnosis of bipolar disorder to be made, the symptoms must be causing the child serious problems at home and school. The child with bipolar disorder will have difficultly … Continue reading →

Differentiating ADHD from Bipolar in Children

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There are many similarities between these two disorders. I’d like to address their differences to give a better perspective between the two (generally speaking): • A child with ADHD is more likely to stumble accidentally into a fight, as opposed to a child with bipolar who may pick the fight, enjoying the feeling of control and feeling invincible. • Children with bipolar are more likely to exhibit danger-seeking behavior and hyperawareness of sexuality even at a very young age persisting into older years, where as a child with ADHD may not. • Continuous effects of bipolar without treatment can worsen, … Continue reading →