#Bipolardisorder in #children looks different from what it looks like for #teenagers and #adults. #Adults with #bipolardisorder have periods of what’s called “mania.” In #adults, mania involves having very high energy, too much confidence, and over-the-top happiness. But in #kids, mania often looks like irritability or aggression. They may throw tantrums or have extreme outbursts.
The problem is that #behaviors like tantrums and outbursts are also symptoms of other #childhood disorders, including #ADHD. Both #childhood mania and #ADHD can involve getting frustrated easily and having trouble managing emotions. Plus, #children with #bipolardisorder have a lot of energy during mania. This energy looks similar to the hyperactivity found in #ADHD. Both disorders can cause issues with focus and trouble sleeping.
The main difference is that in #bipolardisorder, these symptoms come and go after weeks or months. In #ADHD, they are present all or most of the time. But because the signs are so similar, #kids may end up with the wrong diagnosis. Or they may be diagnosed with #bipolardisorder and #ADHD when they only really have one of the two. There is also a related diagnosis, #disruptivemooddysregulationdisorder (#DMDD), that can be confused with these two as well.
When it’s unclear which disorder the #child has, it usually makes sense to start by treating the #child for #ADHD. That’s because it’s more common than #bipolardisorder and more likely to be the right diagnosis. It’s also because stimulant medications, which are prescribed for #ADHD, work quickly. If stimulant medication helps within a week or two, then the child probably does have #ADHD. If it does not, then #bipolar may be the cause. And stimulant medication won’t make symptoms worse if the child does turn out to have #bipolardisorder.
#Bipolardisorder is a #mooddisorder characterized by periods of extreme highs and lows that usually appears in the #teen or young #adult years. Some #children develop it earlier, though it’s often difficult to diagnose in #children. That’s because #pediatric #bipolardisorder looks significantly different from the #adult version. And, to make it more confusing, it often looks a lot like #ADHD.
What is #bipolardisorder in #children?
#Bipolardisorder in #adults is defined by intermittent episodes of mania — elevated mood, rapid speech, high energy, grandiosity and overconfidence — that can last from a week to several months. But mania in #children looks different from the symptoms we associate with #adult mania. In #children, instead of euphoria, mania usually takes the form of increased irritability and aggression.
But relying solely on irritable #behavior is problematic. What experts call “emotional dysregulation,” which includes tantrums, outbursts and aggression, occurs in many conditions — among them #ADHD. It’s only when this occurs episodically, along with other manic symptoms, that it can be a manic/#bipolar episode.
#James Donaldson notes: Welcome to the “next chapter” of my life… being a voice and an advocate for #mentalhealthawarenessandsuicideprevention, especially pertaining to our younger generation of students and student-athletes. Getting men to speak up and reach out for help and assistance is one of my passions. Us men need to not suffer in silence or drown our sorrows in alcohol, hang out at bars and strip joints, or get involved with drug use. Having gone through a recent bout of #depression and #suicidalthoughts myself, I realize now, that I can make a huge difference in the lives of so many by sharing my story, and by sharing various resources I come across as I work in this space.#http://bit.ly/JamesMentalHealthArticle
Find out more about the work I do on my 501c3 non-profit foundation website www.yourgiftoflife.org
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Emotional dysregulation, explains Gabrielle Carlson, MD, was one of the symptoms of #ADHD (along with inattention, impulsivity and hyperactivity) until 1980 when the DSM-3 committee decided it was not part of the core condition. But it’s still listed as an associated #behavior. The current DSM-5 describes it as “low frustration tolerance, irritability, or mood lability.” Its importance in #kids with #ADHD has recently gained renewed recognition.
Dr. Carlson is director emerita of the Division of #Child and #Adolescent Psychiatry and professor of psychiatry and #pediatrics at Stony Brook University School of Medicine. She is an expert in #bipolardisorder in #children and the more recently defined condition called #disruptivemooddysregulationdisorder.
Difficulty managing their emotions and meeting expectations for #behavior are common problems for #children with #ADHD. Indeed, more than half of #children with the combined form of #ADHD (inattention as well as impulsivity and hyperactivity) develop a #behaviordisorder like #oppositionaldefiantdisorder (#ODD), which is characterized by temperamental, disruptive and disobedient #behavior. Indeed, the irritability of #ADHD and #ODD is indistinguishable from the irritability of mania except that the latter is episodic rather than continuous.
One criteria of mania is heightened activity, which can look like the hyperactivity associated with #ADHD
The irritability of mania looks like the low frustration tolerance that comes with #ADHD
The poor judgment of mania looks like impulsivity of #ADHD
Both include distractibility
Both include difficulty sleeping
The key distinction is that mania comes and goes episodically, while #ADHD is a chronic condition. The low frustration tolerance of #ADHD does not go away, while a #child with #bipolardisorder could be severely irritable for six months and then not have another episode for years.
Compounding the potential for confusion, Dr. Carlson adds, is that the diagnostic tools clinicians use to evaluate a child’s #behavior — called structured interviews—may ask parents to rate symptoms but not ask whether they are episodic and unexplained by other stressors or environmental changes. That information, of course, is key to ruling out one or the other diagnosis.
In some research studies, the difficulty distinguishing symptoms of mania from symptoms of #ADHD results in these symptoms being counted toward both disorders, once as a symptom of #bipolardisorder and once as a symptom of #ADHD. And that, in turn, may lead to #kids who have either #ADHD or #bipolar being diagnosed, in error, with both.
Treatment decisions
That said, it is possible for #kids to have both conditions. And confusion about whether a #child has #ADHD or #bipolar, or both, can lead to difficulty in treatment decisions. If there is diagnostic uncertainty, which should be treated first? Dr. Carlson advises treating the #ADHD first. Since #ADHD is much more common than #bipolar in #children, #ADHD is the more likely correct diagnosis.
But, more importantly, stimulant medications, the first-line treatment for #ADHD, produce results quickly. Their effectiveness (or lack of effectiveness) should be clear within days or weeks at most. With some regularity, Dr. Carlson says, she sees #kids who have been diagnosed with #bipolar whose #parents are surprised and thrilled to see their symptoms go away with stimulant medication, because these #kids actually have #ADHD rather than #bipolar.
And if a #child turns out to have #bipolar, stimulant medication has not been shown to impact their illness detrimentally like some other medications, including antidepressants, which can trigger mania.
What is #disruptivemooddysregulationdisorder?
If a #child is prone to severe irritability with explosive outbursts, but the #behavior is not episodic, it’s possible that he may fit the criteria for the new diagnosis, #disruptivemooddysregulationdisorder, or #DMDD. #DMDD was added to the list of diagnoses in DSM-5 when it was published in 2013, to identify #children with severe mood dysregulation who would previously have been diagnosed with #pediatric #bipolardisorder. The problem was that #children who fit this description often did not go on to develop #adult #bipolardisorder.
#Children with #DMDD are prone to outbursts that are out of proportion to the trigger, and are irritable in between outbursts, but this #behavior differs from #bipolar mania in that it does not alternate with periods of #depression or normal mood.
If a #child fits the criteria for #DMDD, he may still have #ADHD, in fact Dr. Carlson estimates that about 75 to 80 percent of children in clinical samples do have #ADHD, and treating the #ADHD that underpins the explosive #behavior may be the most important opportunity to help them. However, emotion dysregulation may be a severe problem with its own burdens leading to emergency room visits and psychiatric hospitalizations. Many #children do not respond either to #ADHD medications or to mood stabilizing medications. Finding appropriate interventions for these #children, Dr. Carlson adds, is a high priority.
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James Donaldson is a Washington State University graduate (’79). After an outstanding basketball career with WSU, he went on to play professional basketball in the NBA with the Seattle Supersonics, San Diego/L.A. Clippers, Dallas Mavericks, New York Knicks, and Utah Jazz. He also played for several teams in the European Leagues in Spain, Italy, and Greece, and he toured with The Harlem Globetrotters to wrap up his career. James was an NBA All-Star in 1988 while playing center for the Dallas Mavericks. In 2006, James was inducted into the Pac-10 Sports Hall of Fame and also the Washington State University Athletic Hall of Fame. In 2010, James was elected as a board member for the NBA Retired Players Association.
James frequently conducts speaking engagements (motivational, inspirational, educational) for organizations, schools, and youth groups.
In 2010, James was the recipient of the NBA Legends of Basketball ABC Award, awarded for outstanding contributions in Athletics–Business–Community.
He believes in being a role model for success and professionalism to the scores of young people to whom he devotes so much of his time. He currently serves on several boards and committees and is a member of many organizations.
James believes in developing relationships that create a “Win-Win” environment for everyone involved, and in being the best he can be!
For more information about James Donaldson or to request he speak at your event, contact him at:
James Donaldson is the author of “Standing Above The Crowd” and “Celebrating Your Gift of Life” and founder of the Your Gift of Life Foundation which focuses on mental health awareness and suicide prevention, especially pertaining to our school aged children and men.
If you’re interested in having James come and speak to your group of young adults, business entrepreneurs, aspiring political and community leaders, and athletic teams, please contact him at jamesd@yourgiftoflife.org and or leave a personal message for him at 1-800-745-3161. Keep up with him and read about how he is reaching out and making a difference in the lives of so many around the world at www.yourgiftoflife.org
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