Bipolar Disorder in Children and Adolescents - Part 1

Soad Michelsen, MD, child and adolescent psychiatrist at Clarity CGC, reviews the difference between children with bipolar disorder and those with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. This 7-part series also provides information to assist mental health professionals with identification and effective treatment methods; clarifying how child psychiatrists determine the correct diagnosis for children; appropriate combinations of therapies and accommodations at home and school; and the judicious use of correct medications to alleviate the most problematic symptoms for the child.

Summer Science

The last days of this long, hot summer are a good time to catch up on a few of the season’s scientific breakthroughs, which have been coming fast and furious during what has been a down time for many people outside of science.

What about this week’s story of an increase in spontaneous mutations in children of older dads? We already knew that children with autism and schizophrenia were more likely to have been conceived by fathers over 40. And we knew that people with schizophrenia or autism, especially those without a family history of developmental disorders cont.

Medications For Bipolar Disorder

Teenage angst can sometimes be attributed to their body's adjustment to the new chemicals that are at a riot in their bodies. While their bodies are transitioning from children to adults, they are also making the change from being treated as children to seeing the world from the perspective of a young adult. For some teenagers who are undergoing this period of transformation, they may find themselves just a little bit more depressed than others and sometimes that feeling may linger on far longer than for others. Sometimes this is combined with a state of somewhat constant over-excitement and almost uncontained energy. For some teenagers, the tide of the chemicals raging in their bodies can be very difficult to control so they just go with it. Most would grow out of this phase before they hit their twenties. Unfortunately, not everyone outgrows this phase and sometimes it turns out that the chemical imbalance is something a little more permanent.cont.

Depression May Be Caused by Overly Connected Brain

Recent studies using brain scans have found that the areas of the brain associated with mood, conscious thought, and concentration are hyperconnected in people with depression. The research seems to find an explanation for the problems with anxiety, focus, and memory that are frequently seen in patients with depression.

One study comes from Andrew Leuchter, a psychiatrist at the University of California, Los Angeles, and his colleagues. They analyzed the brain activity of patients with depression. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRIs) and electroencephalography (EEGs), they measured the amount of activity in the limbic and cortical areas of the brain, which are responsible for processing emotions. PLoS One. cont.

Exercise: A Healthy and Natural Way to Alleviate Symptoms of Depression

Considering our fast-paced society and the stress of modern-day living, it’s no wonder that many people struggle with anxiety from time to time. While some doctors will readily prescribe medication to treat the symptoms, not everyone desires a “solution” in the form of a drug. They’d prefer natural or alternative ways to alleviate or at least reduce symptoms of anxiety.

It’s not uncommon for depression to co-occur for many people who have an anxiety disorder..cont.