Welcome! I'm glad you found us.
My difficult child 1 is not much older than yours -- and I don't usually frequent the PE board -- but your post caught my eye. You've asked the million-dollar question. My difficult child 1, who is primarily anxious and depressed, has had manic reactions to the antidepressants Prozac, Zoloft and Effexor XR and a depressive reaction to the SSRI Celexa. Does that a bipolar diagnosis make? We've consulted a fair number of psychiatrists, and they have not given us a definitive answer because quite frankly, they don't know. difficult child 1 is currently being treated with the mood stabilizer Lamictal (we're in the process of weaning him from the mood stabilizer Depakote because it contained his mania, but also plunged him into depression). He's doing better -- no more raging -- but he's still depressed so we just added a low dose of the SSRI Lexapro and are crossing our fingers that it doesn't send him into mania again. Our psychiatrists have said that anywhere from 30 to 50 percent of kids who initially present with depression actually go on to have bipolar disorder. But one medication reaction cannot definitively make the diagnosis. The child must be observed carefully over the years for signs of both mania and depression, and yes, getting to the other side of puberty will give you more clues about the final diagnosis. Even though difficult child 1 doesn't have the official diagnosis of BiPolar (BP), he is being treated as if he does because we had no other choice given his extreme reaction to antidepressants. I'm guessing that's what's going on in your difficult child's case as well.
In addition to a good psychiatric evaluation, I'd strongly recommend a neuropsychological evaluation to fully assess your difficult child's congitive and psychological strengths and weaknesses. neuropsychologist testing can guide you in putting the proper interventions (school-based, medication, therapy, etc) into place.
While it's hard not to worry about the future, I agree with DDD that you should put your energy into getting your difficult child the best help you can at this point. Because ultimately, the more proactive you are now, the better his future prognosis will be.
For more info on diagnosing BiPolar (BP) in kids, you might want to google Dr. Ellen Leibenluft. She and her colleagues at NIMH in Bethesda, MD, are studying this diagnostic dilemma.
Again, welcome and good luck.