The Bipolar Child

It comes out so quickly; faster than a knee-jerk reaction. It’s like electricity shoots through me. It’s like being struck with lightning. I feel rage and hurt and need to strike back. It becomes primal—infantile. I would throw things, smash a couple of frogs between rocks. I was raging all the time—every day, multiple times a day, verbally abusive

During these rages, which are typically triggered by a simple parental “no,” the child goes into an almost seizurelike tantrum where he or she kicks, hits, bites, punches, breaks things, and screams foul language. This can go on for three hours at a time, several times a day, and can persist through adolescence if the child is not treated.

The moods of children who have ADHD or bipolar disorder may change quickly, but children with ADHD do not generally show dysphoria (depression) as a predominant symptom. Irritability is particularly prominent in children who are bipolar, especially in the morning on arousal. Children with ADHD tend to arouse quickly and attain alertness within minu

Destructiveness may be seen in both disorders but differs in origin. Children who are ADHD often break things carelessly while playing (“non-angry destructiveness”), whereas the major destructiveness of children who are bipolar is not a result of carelessness but tends to occur in anger. Children who are bipolar may exhibit severe temper tantrums d

the family is going to begin to withdraw so as not to stress the child or expose themselves to public attention and possible ridicule.

am so grateful for what has happened. I will take it as it comes and not dare hope that this will last a lifetime. But I now have hope and I now have proof that I have a wonderful child who was trapped in a prison of her illness. Seeing her like this makes it all worthwhile, and I am so thankful that we never gave up as we were tempted to so many t

Family life in a household dealing with a bipolar child is about as un-Pleasantville as it comes. It is a virtual stew of guilt, powerlessness, denial, anger, anxiety, fear, uncertainty, confusion, blame, and shame. These are all very ugly words that make us flinch, arousing feelings that most of us would do anything to avoid, but all are feelings

In our survey and in direct interviews, we asked parents how they initially understood their child’s early symptoms and behavioral difficulties. The answers that came back to us were varied. Many parents blamed themselves and criticized their own parenting skills. “We thought we weren’t firm enough,” they wrote; or “Maybe we weren’t always consiste

style and the child’s temperament and needs. It’s safe to bet, however, that the child won’t be the one to change first. The parents, who are infinitely more flexible, will have to exercise that flexibility for quite a while. But there is every reason to believe that reasonableness will come back into the relationship once the child is medically tr