I apoloogize if I repeated anything, but I'm not reading the entire thread, so I'm missing a lot of posts. It's actually true that bipolar can't be diagnosed for insurance reasons. My psychiatrist said that it's not in the DSM yet for kids so it has to be diagnosed Mood Disorder not otherwise specified for the insurance to pay for it. He, however, did not say it doesn't exist. He believes it DOES exist. As an adult who felt moodswings from as young as I can remember, I believe it too. Psychiatry is always evolving and changing. I personally would accept CD if nothing else fit or helped. Janet, I'm not reading your posts so perhaps you did say all those things. I think we are actually on the same page. Rule everything out first. Get good evaluations. Get second opinions if your child isn't doing better. Get the best help you can. It's true that we learn a lot from our psychiatrists, and they are of all different mindsets. As long as a child gets the best treatment and improves, in my opinion, who cards? In ten years bipolar will have another name or maybe they'll find the cause of it. Maybe autistic spectrum disorder will be split into four groups instead of three. Maybe ODD will either be more precise or deleted. I think that every one who posts here has a child who meets the criteria for ODD as at least a co-diagnosis. Few people with psychiatric/neurological probelms don't have co-existing diagnosis. The DSM of today will not resemble itself in ten years. There are many gray areas that the DSM doesn't cover. Misdiagnosis happens all the time. It's not just my particular kid who is misdiagnosed. My message is to keep searching until your child has improved. If we had not, my kid would still have the DSM description of ADHD and ODD. He would not have gotten the interventions he desperately needed--he had to have the Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) diagnosis. for that. Thus, he has improved so much that nobody would ever guess he has Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), although, at one time, it was so obvious that it boggles the mind (and scares me) that not one professional saw it. Other parents did, but not the professionals. As long as your child is getting what he needs to reach his highest productivity level as an adult, it's all good, in my opinion. I feel really sad when I read about kids who are still struggling in their adult years and I always wonder if it was a matter of misdiagnosis, but diagnosis itself is so slippery. I just wish everyone a great outcome and urge everyone to never give up. Really, the only reason I come here is to try and help. My own kids are basically doing really well. If anyone thinks I'm or anyone else is here for any reason other than to help, hey, I guess we'll agree to disagree. I also don't believe anyone here is positive that he or she is always right, since even good Psychiatrists admit they can't always nail things down.
in gear as to the realities of what it is like out there. Especially with a newbie. Even though I come from a long line mental illness, most of us hadn't been in the system, so this was all new. 
