Sharon - I've asked the mods if this can be archived.
To me, the difference between mania and thought disorder is that mania is a relatively transient thing, comes and goes, while the thought disorders are there 24/7. Mania at age 6, 9, 11, 15, and 17 looked very different in thank you. When he was younger, it was generalized irritability, restlessness, flight of thoughts, and a sense of a tornado trapped in a test tube ... he was kind of just bursting out, you know? Now it's a lot more silliness (inappropriate giggling, high-pitched squealing), grandiose plans, extreme overestimation of abilities, and a *lot* of pressured speech.
Absolutely, I do think kids learn to fake things well. Years of therapy and thank you knows what appropriate responses are and, when inclined, comes off as a very together kid. It's short-lived though and I think the biggest "tell" is that when he does not follow thru with basic things (ADLs, school, etc) when you press him for reasons, his thought disorders come screaming through.