Posted by Nancy on April 8, 1999, at 13:52:00
In reply to Re: BiPolar child?, posted by Toby on December 30, 1998, at 9:08:08
> Lithium wouldn't likely have caused ADD. Since I don't know your symptoms, I can't say for sure which diagnosis really fits, but it is true that the symptoms of ADD and Bipolar disorder mimic each other especially in childhood. Both illnesses can cause impulsive behavior, mood difficulties, depression can cause inattention to school work, etc. It is possible for even very young children to have bipolar disorder (not generally known until the last few years, though),
Hooray! When I tell doctors that my severe bipolar symptoms (like suicide ideation and also, summer manias) began when I was five/six years old, they think I'm some kind of idiot! They say that "...bipolar disorder does not present itself until the late teens/early twenties...".I say that small children don't have the appropriate knowledge to ask for help. I say that parents too frequently dismiss hypomanias and depressions in children as "just a child". Parents may not even be paying attention to a childs mood affectations until THE PARENT IS DISTURBED by a child's BEHAVIOR PROBLEM.
N
but to get a diagnosis of ADD requires that symptoms start before age 7; so if there were no problems at all until say, age 10, then ADD wouldn't be even an option for a diagnosis.
poster:Nancy
thread:1645
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/19990401/msgs/4561.html