Children With Bipolar Disorder – How To Diagnose And Treat Kids
Bipolar disorder was once only seen in adults but studies are showing children also get the manic depressive illness. The only issue is many of the kids are being diagnosed as ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) and ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) Though now many researchers and doctors are realizing that bipolar is rearing its ugly self in childhood along in adolescence.
The early the diagnosis is made in children, the better their chances of having successful treatments and living inhibited lives that would otherwise be full of chaos. It seems though that anything doing with children is full of controversy. Medicating children with bipolar is not without its debates. Many doctors feel with medication (which is given first) along with talk therapy will work. However, many parents along with psychologists disagree with this method.
It seems that as soon as parents realize their child is on medication that the child loses some of his or her personality.. a sense of who they are that parents seem to love. It’s not true actually. Anytime a person is medicated or overly medicated, they do not lose a sense of who they are. However, it can be said that medications can make some children “spacey” or just plain “out of it”. This of course causes concern among the parents and doctors, making them questions if medicine is actually necessary and if the child is better off without any.
An effective therapy for children is play therapy especially for children with bipolar disorder. These children tend to live better childhoods. Play therapy typically places the child in certain “pretend” situations where they must have a logically and emotionally healthy solution. Play therapy is good for some children but not so good in others. In certain bipolar children, the mood swings are so strong that the child cannot control both their emotional reactions and other actions to situations.
A new therapy being introduced is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. The therapy centers on the patient learning to recognize bipolar symptoms, what triggers it and inappropriate behaviors that go along with it. It also comes up with alternatives to that “bad” behavior. This therapy allows the patient to discover for themselves what they can do to avoid manic or depressive episodes and how to effectively manage it. For adults, this is a good option… for children, however, it is still quite new. This therapy does work well with medicine therapy.
Cognitive therapy requires some level of resolving crisis and vital thinking that does not occur in children typically. For that reason, it is not used a lot in children under certain age guidelines and their maturity level. Some researchers say if the cognitive and behavioral therapy had some changes and were geared toward children, that it could work. This can prove difficult to do however.
No matter the end result, childhood treatment options should be discussed with their doctor, psychiatrists, psychologists, parents and teachers to come up with a livable and realistic treatment. Every person that child comes into contact should be aware of the process in order for it to be triumphant. Should they have concerns about what kind of effects it will have on the child or they see a difference in a bad result, they need to speak up when necessary. Parents should also not be afraid to change doctors if they feel their child is not getting the care and attention they need. The goal behind treatment is to get the child to live in society and function “normally” as the law says.
Abhishek Agarwal
http://www.articlesbase.com/mental-health-articles/children-with-bipolar-disorder-how-to-diagnose-and-treat-kids-739512.html
March 12th, 2010 at 5:37 am
PLZ HELP need help writing a conclussion for my report need it asap?
In 1902 Doctor Still was the first person to ADHD as a disorder and named it defect of moral control. In 1922 the symptoms of ADHD where diagnosed and was called Post-Encephalitic Behavior Disorder. In 1937 doctor Charles Bradley was the first to use stimulant to treat children that showed sign and symptoms of ADHD. In the later part 1960 the name was changed to hyperkinetic disorder of childhood. During the 1970’s more symptoms were recognized that related to hyperactivity that include impulsiveness, daydreaming and the lack of focus. On 1980 the American Psychiatric Association invented the name attention deficit disorder. In 1987 the name was changed to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. The American medical association said in 1998 that ADHD has been one of the research disorders.
ADHD is defined by the frequent pattern of hyperactivity and inattention. There are three types of ADHD the most common is the combined typed which is involves all the symptoms of ADHD. Inattention ADHD which is also known as ADD and it includes not being able to focus on a task. The third and last type is hyperactivity impulsive which is hyperactivity without inattention. Inattention symptoms may not be visible until you in a job or in a difficult place in school. Hyperactivity symptoms can appear with kids as young as preschool and present before the age of 7. The treatment options for ADHD that are available are medication and behavioral therapy and changing the foods that your children eat. There is non stimulant medication like Strattera and stimulant medication like Concerta, Ritalin, ADDerall and Vyvanse. The recommended ADHD diet is high protien content and not a lot of carbs ,protien supplement and drinking a lot of water. The problems with ADHD is that it does not come alone there are other thing that come with it some of the are Tourette Syndrome, bipolar disorder, Learning Disabilities, Depression, Oppositional Defiant Disorder and conduct disorder. ADHD is also linked to sleeping problems and disorders. ADHD can also cause social problems not being excepted by kids at school which can cause low self esteem. The cause of ADHD is unknown but most evidence leads to genetics.
March 12th, 2010 at 10:39 am
Your conclusion could look something like this:
Being diagnosed with ADD or ADHD may seem daunting, but working with a therapist and a psychiatrist to address concerns and problems can be greatly helpful to those afflicted. Changes in diet and taking medication as prescribed will also contribute to better mental health. With help and determination, individuals with these disorders can live successful, happy lives.
I hope you don’t mind; I’ve edited your essay for punctuation and grammar and a few missing or misplaced words. Here:
In 1902, Doctor Still was the first person to diagnose ADHD as a disorder. He proclaimed it a type of defect of moral control. In 1922, the symptoms of ADHD were diagnosed as Post-Encephalitic Behavior Disorder. Doctor Charles Bradley, in 1937, was the first to use stimulants to treat children that showed sign and symptoms of ADHD. In the later part 1960, the name was changed to hyperkinetic disorder of childhood. During the 1970’s more symptoms were recognized that related to hyperactivity that included impulsiveness, daydreaming and the lack of focus. By 1980, the American Psychiatric Association invented the name Attention Deficit Disorder. The name was changed to Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in 1987. The American medical association said in 1998 that ADHD has been one of the most researched disorders.
ADHD is defined by the frequent pattern of hyperactivity and inattention. There are three types of ADHD; the most common is the combined type, which is involves all the symptoms of ADHD. Inattention ADHD is also known as ADD, and consists of not being able to focus on tasks. The third type is hyperactivity impulsive, which is hyperactivity without inattention.
Inattention symptoms may not be visible until you are in a job or have difficulties in school. Hyperactivity symptoms can appear with kids as young as preschool, and can present before the age of 7. Treatment options for ADHD include medication, behavioral therapy and changing the foods that your children eat. There is non stimulant medication such as Strattera and stimulant medication such as Concerta, Ritalin, ADDerall and Vyvanse. The recommended ADHD diet is high protien content and protein supplements, less carbohydrate intake, and lots of water.
The problem with ADHD is that it does not always come alone; there are often other disorders (known as comorbid disorders) that are diagnosed as well. These can include Tourette Syndrome, bipolar disorder, Learning Disabilities, Depression, Oppositional Defiant Disorder and conduct disorder. ADHD is also linked to sleeping problems and disorders. ADHD can cause social problems, such as not being accepted by kids at school, which can cause low self esteem. The cause of ADHD is unknown, but most evidence leads to genetics.
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