I have a for year old son that recently
got diagnosed with being bipolar a year
ago.My ex seem to think he is and i dont
for many differant reasons when he is here
he acts like any normal four year old with
no signs of bipolarism.My question is can
a three year old child be diagnosed with
being bipolar cause that seems a little
young.And i am very concerned because he
is on medication and i feel he is too
young so i need some advice please.
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antigone
Moderator
Joined: 27 Jan 2008 Posts: 965 Location: IL
Thanks: 48
Thanked:18
Posted: 03-14-08 01:01am
The short answer is yes. Until the late
1990's and early 2000's it was believed
that children could not have bipolar
disorder. This has changed. I have 2 sons
diagnosed with bpd. Medicating children is
difficult but not medicating them can lead
to difficuties for the child. There is
evidence that damage occurs to the brain
when a person has bpd but is left
untreated. A good book for you to read is
"The Bipolar Child" by Papolos. It is very
informative and gives great information
about medications, behaviors, and lots of
other information.
Have you talked to the doctor that
diagnosed your son? They could give you
the reasons for the diagnosis. Many
children will act out at home and seem to
be able to reign it in when they are not
at home. As the illness progresses this
becomes more difficult for them to do and
eventually the behaviors will become
apparent to others that see the child on a
regular basis. This is perhaps why you do
not see it. The medication helps the
child's moods, thus the behavior improves.
Get yourself educated about the disorder.
Accepting this about a child is so
difficult. Knowing all you can will help
you and in turn you will be able to help
your son. If you want more info I can
help, I think. Let me know. All the best
to you and your son.
