What was your bipolar/manic depressive child like as a toddler?

[tracyjean1016]

I don't have time right now to get into why I suspect ds (turns 3 next week) might merit this diagnosis, but I was curious to hear from other parents of diagnosed older children what their kids were like as toddlers. Also, what was the "red flag" that spurred you to seek professional intervention? My husband and I have always had a nagging feeling that something is not quite right with our son, and though we keep hoping that he will just "grow out of" certain behaviors, they seem to be getting worse. Thanks to anyone who might be able to share their experience!

[JSerene]

Bump. I'd like to know what others would say to this as well.

My 5 year old does not have a diagnosis, but she is clearly troubled. She talkes about wanting to hurt herself. She talkes about not liking herself, and about being afraid of herself. At three, things were much worse. She talked about wanting to kill other parents, about wishing she had never been born, and about hurting others (she was specific, but I don't want to go into details). She freaked out frequently (not leaving the bedroom, for instance, for weeks).

We sought medical intervention and they were no help. They (collectively) didn't believe such a young child could act the way ours did. We haven't been back to a psychiatrist in 2 years.

I don't know if that's what you're looking for, but we certainly knew something was wrong when she was not quiet 3 years old.

[~cassie]

My nephew is bipolar.  Somedays I question if my 3 1/2 yr old is as well.  For my nephew--he was a very difficult child.  Had trouble winding down to sleep, his main issue was his violent outbursts-he would always use agression, hurt others, etc.  Around 5 yrs old is when the depression started for him, lots of "they don't like me, no one is my friend, lots of self hating behaviours.  He is 7 1/2 now and was formally diagnosed at 6 and medication has made a tremendous impact.  He still has behaviour issues but he is abot 80% better on meds.  I never would have guessed he had bipolar, I honestly thought it was oppositional defiant disorder with how violent he is/was, however the Drs explained to my sister that BPD presents much differently in children than it does in adults.

[Emmeline II]

Originally Posted by JSerene 

Bump. I'd like to know what others would say to this as well.

My 5 year old does not have a diagnosis, but she is clearly troubled. She talkes about wanting to hurt herself. She talkes about not liking herself, and about being afraid of herself. At three, things were much worse. She talked about wanting to kill other parents, about wishing she had never been born, and about hurting others (she was specific, but I don't want to go into details). She freaked out frequently (not leaving the bedroom, for instance, for weeks).

We sought medical intervention and they were no help. They (collectively) didn't believe such a young child could act the way ours did. We haven't been back to a psychiatrist in 2 years.

I don't know if that's what you're looking for, but we certainly knew something was wrong when she was not quiet 3 years old.

These were all questions ds' psychiatrist asked him/about him, though he was 6. Recongnising depression in very young children is fairly new   Depression in Young Children

Preschool depression

If a renewed search doesn't find a Dr. who will take you seriously I'd try contacting the study author (first article)--I've never tried to do that but since the field of study is so new, you may get an answer.

[RiverTam]

I don't have a child with bipolar disorders, but I have two family members close in age to me who have bipolar disorder.  L. is 3 years older and is my aunt. A is 8 years younger and my brother.

As a toddler and school age kid, A. was remarkable for his rages. They were severe and went on for hours and hours. As a little kid, he threw himself on the ground and against walls. His head turned purple. He  didn't stop. He threw things, including kitchen knives. When he was 3, he hit me in the collar bone with a hammer and broke my collar bone. These went way beyond normal tantrums. It's hard to tell if a little kid is manic, but he didn't sleep a lot. He was booted from a Catholic school in first grade for aggressive behavior.

I don't remember L. as a toddler, but I remember her when she was 7 and 8, and she had the same sort of extreme rages. She would throw herself in the floor and kick and scream and cry and that would go on for hours. No one could calm her down. She didn't get tired.

Neither one of them were rapid cyclers. Both of them would have 1-3  big incidents like that in a year.  I've read that other kids can cycle much more rapidly.

Both were diagnosed with bipolar as adults.  I know some people are skeptical of bipolar dx in kids, but when I look at my family, I can see a difference in the kids who grew up to get an adult dx of bipolar and those who didn't. For us, it's mostly the rage factor.

[mrsfru]

I just wanted to add, as an adult with bipolar disorder (symptoms started in earnest around adolescence) and the parent of a child w/autism...

high functioning autism CAN actually look quite similar to bipolar disorder in children.

a qualified developmental behaviorial pediatrician can really help you and your family.

I have met a family that had 2 children w/bipolar disorder dx'd at 2-3 yrs old...both girls had violent rages and appeared to hallucinate (both visual & auditory).  Their mother gave me the book, The Bipolar Child by the Papolos' (Dr. and Mrs...) The book is fantastic.  Definitely recommend getting on amazon.com and ordering a copy.

Best wishes to you and your family!

mrsfru