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question about bipolar
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<blockquote data-quote="smallworld" data-source="post: 43013" data-attributes="member: 2423"><p>Kjs, there is a lot of controversy among the psychiatric community over what constitutes childhood bipolar disorder. For all intents and purposes, only a board-certified child psychiatrist can diagnose bipolar disorder in a child. However, neuropsychological testing can shed light on the diagnosis -- for example, whether the child has co-morbid learning disabilities, ADHD, executive dysfunction, autistic spectrum disorders, etc. In addition, the neuropsychologist who evaluated my son last December administered psychological testing, which determined that my son has chronic severe depression at the core of his mood issues. by the way, I have a hard time believing a psychiatrist thinks neuropsychologist testing is a waste of money. My son's psychiatrist was the one who recommended it, and we found the results helpful in guiding interventions.</p><p></p><p>My son is currently being treated by his psychiatrist for bipolar diosrder with mood stabilizers (and a low dose of an SSRI for depression). But his psychiatrist tells us that we will not know for certain whether my son has bipolar disorder until he has gone through puberty and becomes an older teen. We know for certain that my son has mood issues -- anxiety and depression (with a good smattering of oppositional behavior thrown in, which I see as a result of being anxious and depressed, not a disorder unto itself). The only reason a question of bipolar disorder even entered the picture is that my son became manic on three antidepressants (Prozac, Zoloft and Effexor XR), but medication reactions are not enough to make the diagnosis. We've been told that bipolar disorder is typically a diagnosis made after observing the child for five or more years (but that doesn't mean you ignore and not treat the symptoms while observing).</p><p></p><p>I hope that sheds a little light on this diagnostic dilemma.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="smallworld, post: 43013, member: 2423"] Kjs, there is a lot of controversy among the psychiatric community over what constitutes childhood bipolar disorder. For all intents and purposes, only a board-certified child psychiatrist can diagnose bipolar disorder in a child. However, neuropsychological testing can shed light on the diagnosis -- for example, whether the child has co-morbid learning disabilities, ADHD, executive dysfunction, autistic spectrum disorders, etc. In addition, the neuropsychologist who evaluated my son last December administered psychological testing, which determined that my son has chronic severe depression at the core of his mood issues. by the way, I have a hard time believing a psychiatrist thinks neuropsychologist testing is a waste of money. My son's psychiatrist was the one who recommended it, and we found the results helpful in guiding interventions. My son is currently being treated by his psychiatrist for bipolar diosrder with mood stabilizers (and a low dose of an SSRI for depression). But his psychiatrist tells us that we will not know for certain whether my son has bipolar disorder until he has gone through puberty and becomes an older teen. We know for certain that my son has mood issues -- anxiety and depression (with a good smattering of oppositional behavior thrown in, which I see as a result of being anxious and depressed, not a disorder unto itself). The only reason a question of bipolar disorder even entered the picture is that my son became manic on three antidepressants (Prozac, Zoloft and Effexor XR), but medication reactions are not enough to make the diagnosis. We've been told that bipolar disorder is typically a diagnosis made after observing the child for five or more years (but that doesn't mean you ignore and not treat the symptoms while observing). I hope that sheds a little light on this diagnostic dilemma. [/QUOTE]
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