BiPolar Disorder hard to detect in children
BOSTON, April 26 (UPI) — Symptoms of bipolar disorder often appear in childhood but can be difficult to distinguish from other disorders, says a U.S. newsletter.Children, especially young children, usually do not show the adult cycle of distinct mood episodes of mania and depression, and many symptoms that may stem from bipolar disorder also occur in other childhood disorders — moods fluctuating in very rapid cycles, sometimes from hour-to-hour; irritability and agitation, or bursts of rage, according to the Harvard Mental Health Letter.
Bipolar disorder in children is especially difficult to distinguish from attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder because they share a number of symptoms — impulsiveness, distractibility and hyperactivity.
Up to 30 percent of children originally diagnosed with ADHD eventually receive a diagnosis of bipolar disorder, according to the newsletter.
“Childhood bipolar disorder is a real and serious illness that should be recognized and treated as early as possible,” Dr. Michael Miller, editor in chief of the Harvard Mental Health Letter, said in a statement.
