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.

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.