For many years the psychiatric profession didn't even believe there could be such a thing as bipolar children. Bipolar disorder, or manic depression, was described as an illness that emerged only in adulthood, even though some early researchers seemed to have evidence that some of the symptoms that adults exhibited had actually manifested well before they were ten years old. Yet manic depression treatment options were geared explicitly toward adults for many decades because of this belief. Bipolar information about both symptoms and treatments for children was scarce for a long time.

It's only been in recent years that the psychiatric profession has even recognized that there could be bipolar children. The accepted wisdom was always that bipolar disorder, or manic depression, only developed in adults. This was despite evidence from early researchers that some adult symptoms had in fact emerged before they were ten years old. But the result of this assumption was that manic depression treatment methods were always geared explicitly toward adults. It wasn't easy to find any sort of bipolar information about either symptoms or treatment for manic depression in children.

For most of the 20th century, the psychiatric profession did not believe there could be bipolar children. Manic depression, also called bipolar disorder, was considered to be something that only emerged in adults, despite some contrary evidence a few early researchers seemed to have that certain symptoms in adults had manifested before they were ten. What resulted was that all manic depression treatments were for adults. It was difficult to find any reliable bipolar data about either symptoms or treatments for children, for a very long time.

For much of the last century, the psychiatric profession considered bipolar children to be non-existent. That is, they believed that bipolar disorder, also known as manic depression, occurred only in adults, even though some early researchers had evidence suggesting that a few adults had symptoms that had indeed manifested before they were ten. But manic depression treatments were pretty much exclusively designed for adults until recent years, as a result of this belief. Finding any bipolar facts about symptoms or treatments for children was difficult for a long time.

New depression treatment has improved, but there is still far to go. Part of the problem is that many of the symptoms that manifest in bipolar children can overlap with those that occur with other disorders. For example, the intensity of a manic phase may closely resemble the hyperactivity associated with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Indeed, some children have both, and often the extra hint that the problem isn't just ADHD is that the children are more aggressive and have more behavioral difficulties than if he or she only had ADHD. So finding the right medical treatments can be a real challenge, not to mention diagnosing the problem in the first place.

Some progress has been made, and current treatments help children more than before. But bipolar disorder can be hard to treat because so many of its symptoms overlap other disorders as well. Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), for example, can resemble the manic phase of manic depression. Often the only reason bipolar children with these symptoms are diagnosed is that they are more aggressive and exhibit more behavioral problems than if they had ADHD alone. All of this means that both diagnosis and finding the right medical treatments can be quite the challenge.

Things have gotten better to some degree; certainly the current treatments have greatly improved the situation. But another reason why it's hard to treat bipolar disorder is that the symptoms tend to overlap with those of other disorders. For example, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) may resemble bipolar disorder in its manic phase. Bipolar children with those symptoms are often diagnosed only because they are more aggressive, with more behavioral problems, than if they only had ADHD. With such overlapping of symptoms, what this means is that diagnosing the problem and finding the right medical treatments is very difficult.

Anxiety disorders can also be an indicator that doctors should watch for manic depression as well, since children with these disorders are more likely also to develop bipolar disorder. Children with bipolar disorder may often have had treatment already for full-blown depressive episodes, which served as precursors for the later illness. Even irritability and hypersensitivity might be warning signs, if they last for days at a time.

Diagnosis is controversial, though, because children with bipolar disorder are much more likely to be diagnosed in the United States than in other parts of the world. Interpretations vary on whether this is because there is simply over diagnosis in the U.S., or whether US doctors are simply recognizing a problem that really exists. Bipolar info and interpretation of symptoms varies considerably from country to country.

This means that treatment for manic depression will also vary between countries. Yet if this disorder is genuine, it appears to be more intense in bipolar children than in adults, so it's important to find the right therapies. Some of the antipsychotic drugs usually prescribed for this disorder can damage the liver and increase the risk of heart problems or diabetes. Yet without the medications, children are at risk of psychosis, cognitive impairment or even suicide. Correct diagnosis is crucial, so that the best treatments can be devised, and the risk to the children minimized as much as possible.

The treatment options available for manic depression are also likely to vary between countries. Yet it's important to settle the question about diagnosis, because if this disorder truly manifests in bipolar children, it seems to be more intense for them than for adults. Some antipsychotic drugs that are used to treat it carry the risk of liver damage, heart problems or even diabetes. But not using the drugs could put the children at increased risk of psychosis, cognitive impairment or suicide. To find the best possible treatment for these children, a correct diagnosis is crucial.

What will also vary between countries as a result will be the treatments for manic depression. But it's important to establish the accuracy of the diagnosis, because the disorder appears to be much more intense for bipolar children than for adults. Using antipsychotic drug products unnecessarily could lead to the risk of liver damage, diabetes and heart problems for the children. Yet if they aren't used when needed, then there are other high risks, such as psychosis, cognitive impairment or even suicide. Only if the correct diagnosis is made can the children be helped and the very best treatments be chosen.