Bipolar Beat

Childhood Bipolar Articles

Bipolar Disorder Q&A: Should My Four-Year-Old Child Take Medication for Bipolar Disorder?

Friday, September 18th, 2009
Danielle Asks... My 4 year old son was diagnosed with bipolar disorder about six months ago…he is currently on Seroquel, and the doctor added lithium today. I am scared that my baby has to be on these medications at such a young age and I am wondering if there is anyone out there with children (or yourself) that started these meds so young.

Bipolar Disorder Q&A: How can I best manage bipolar during pregnancy?

Saturday, April 18th, 2009
Purple Tablets Asks... I'm a female of child-bearing age… who has been diagnosed as Bipolar II. The message that the different doctors have given me so far has been "don't get pregnant." (In fact, one offended me so much with how she delivered this message that I cancelled my follow-up appointment and got a new psychiatrist!)

Bipolar Disorder Q&A: What Should I Do If My Ex Disagrees Over Treatment for Our Son?

Friday, February 13th, 2009
Shelli Asks... My ex refuses to believe that our son is bipolar. He insists that our boy tried to choke his half-sister to death and that our son speaks of his "evil-other side" but he fights with me about giving the boy medication. Could he be so stupid as to think our boy is just mean? Since he is medicated he is a calm and kind teenager. Have you ever heard of one of those? The ex even commented one time that our son was "like a different child" when he was visiting after he started his Seroquel but still refuses to believe the diagnosis. What can I have him read or look at to help with his disbelief?

Increasing Rates of Bipolar Diagnosis: Pros and Cons

Thursday, September 25th, 2008
The bipolar diagnosis is on the rise. You can read it in the media and readily observe it by talking to people you know. More people than ever (and significantly more children than ever) carry the label. According to results of a study published in the Archives of General Psychiatry (September, 2007) entitled, “National Trends in the Outpatient Diagnosis and Treatment of Bipolar Disorder in Youth,” we’ve seen a 40-fold increase in the diagnosis of bipolar disorder in children and adolescents between 1994 and 2003. During this same period, the bipolar diagnosis in the adult population nearly doubled.

Bipolar Disorder & Heredity – The Genetic Link: Part II

Tuesday, July 29th, 2008
In Part I of this two-part series, we examined the role that genetics likely plays in the onset of bipolar disorder and learned that genetics contributes up to 80%, with environmental factors contributing about 20% or more. (This means that if someone has bipolar disorder, the cause of it is 75-80% due to genetics. It does not mean an individual in a family with a history of bipolar has a 75-80% chance of developing it. See Part I for statistics on the inheritability of bipolar.) It appears that for most people there needs to be some environmental factors that "turn on" the genes responsible for one's vulnerability to bipolar disorder. Many of these environmental triggers may occur early in life and may include things such as:

Candida Fink, M.D. and Joe Kraynak are authors of Bipolar Disorder for Dummies. Pick up the book today!
Best of the Web - Blog 2008

Recent Comments
  • Anonymous: I am a 53 year old woman who has tried many of the anti-depressants menioned here for my depression....
  • Becky: I have bipolar with sleep issues. I have been seesawing back and forth between Ambien CR and Lunesta, mostly...
  • N/A: My mom is bipolar and refuses to get treatment. In her manic state she has rage fits that last several hours of...
  • BipolarII?: I have the exact same symptoms that your husband has. I am 27 years old have only recently discovered...
  • Anna: Oh, one more thing - I encourage those who have a loved one with a mental illness to find a support group,...
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