Obesity Information

Most people are initially diagnosed with bipolar disorder during adolescence. However, some people are diagnosed early on in childhood. This has actually led to approximately 3 quarters of a million children and teens being diagnosed with this disorder according to the Child and Adolescent Bipolar Foundation.

Children will usually present with different bipolar symptoms than adults. These symptoms usually include:

• Extreme emotional fluctuations many times in just one day
• Instead of depression signs of being withdrawn, sad and irritable
• Instead of mania signs of excitement, elation and hyperactivity

The best way to describe these children's behavior is as "hyperactive." They will have extreme reactions to an ordinary situation regardless of what that reaction may be (i.e. anger, fear, anxiety, depression, happiness, surprise, nervousness, disappointment, anticipation, disgust, aggression). This reaction will occur immediately without any recognizable progression of emotion. Understanding this will allow you to anticipate the child's response ahead of time so that you can be prepared to deescalate an emotionally charged situation.

Unfortunately there is no treatment or cure for bipolar disorder. This is a chronic condition that lasts a lifetime. It is also important to note that there is a higher rate of suicide amongst these children as well. Therefore it is important to focus on providing them with a stable, supportive network of adults who are there to help them.??

This is definitely a challenging disorder but it can be managed by medication, support from adults and behavior modification. It is also important for the adults who work with these children to learn as much as they can about this disorder.

Anticipating bipolar children's responses is important whenever it comes to managing these children's behavior. Herein you will need to be two or three responses ahead of the child at all times. By being proactive you will be able to deescalate a potential problem before the child's emotions are amplified. This will allow you to keep situations from getting out of control. Of course, any reasonable adult would agree that this is a much better approach to controlling the child's behavior than trying to regain control after the child has already lost control. It is also why it is so important to be able to get a good grasp on your child's problems as others will come to appreciate this as well