Early onset bipolar disorder?

[onwardandupwards]

Have been told ds (7) might have Early onset bipolar disorder. Have not heard of this, only bipolar in adults. Any advice really welcomed and really needed.

Sorry I don't know about it in children. But all these labels are just labels. Why bi-polar and not adhd for example?

Onwards lots of children and young people get given these horrible labels, but go on to defy expectations and have happy 'normal' lives.

Are you logging his behaviors and what causes it?

I don't know much about this either, but my gut reaction is similar to oodles, concern as to whether the diagnostic criteria apply to your child more than something less unusual such asd/adhd etc. Is it a psychiatrist who has suggested this?

Do the symptoms present any differently in children? Like pipinjo we have this condition in the family and there can be a hereditary element.

This is something that concerns me with my DD age 13. Currently under assessment with CAMHS who are confused and say she's complex. School are confused. Ed Psych said she may have many traits of different disorders but not enough for a diagnosis in any particular one! She has Aspergers/ADHD/dyspraxia/SPD/odd/PDA type behaviours, anxiety and seperation anxiety. She scored below ASD cut off on ADOS and we are due to see clinical psych at the end of this month for his opinion. Her biological father has bipolar and also so does her 17 year old half sister (they livein the U.S). Her paternal grandmother was also bi polar.

Ds dad has bi polar so does a couple of other members of his family, it was a psychiatrist who suggested this although he does have pda behaviours as well. Its like having 2 different children who switch personalites one minute he is calm and the next angry and violent, he smashed my front door window with his fist, and calmly went in and had a drink. He doesnt sleep much and has night terrors alot. All our things are in boxes as he smashes them, we use plastic plates, have been asked to leave cinemas, get off buses,he refuses to do school work and if school tell him off , he messes himself and spreads it round classroom, the list is endless, he will not speak to adults, do not know what is wrong with him, he has been like this since he was 2, the diagnosis process is taking forever. Any advice really welcome thank you.

How is his dad? Is life calm and predictable at home? How is his diet? Does he get enough exercise? Whatever the label the only things you can change are his environment and your response to his outbursts.
We have found a behavioural/aba consultant really helpful. Not a cure, but an improvement.

My DD is not physically aggressive but can be verbally aggressive. Her emotions are up and down constantly! I find controlling the environment, like oodles said, is very important with her. We don't have many people visit and it's mainly kept to close family. We don't have people to sleep either as both these things make her manic and extremely anxious. We have set routines the best we can and tbh live a quite insular life (didn't realise we had done this until started assessments). NT son age 11 is ok with it but I'm sure he'd like his friends around more and I do feel guilty for it. My dd has numerous meltdowns daily. Any conversation can result in a meltdown and any demand (no matter how small) always does!

Also I've found that clutter effects her mood, even if she can't see it. She hoards rubbish (mainly paper) in her bedroom. Although she hides it I know when it's getting bad as she won't spend any time in her room. I then give her room a good bottoming and then can't get her out of her room lol!

ds dad left when ds was a day old saying he couldnt be a parent and have not heard from him since. Its just me, dd and ds. He has a good diet and i keep the house as calm as i can. We dont have people over as ds flips at them, last week he took a metal mop pole to my 90 year old gran (i got in his way so he wacked me instead, this was better than her though) He just switches moment to moment. He wakes me up in the night by screaming down my ear (which hurts like hell) or hitting me. He shares a room with me as dd has chronic fatigue, kidney and bowel problems and needs lots of rest. At the moment we are averaging 20 meltdowns/ full on tantrums a day.

Ah bless you, onward xx

I understand the 20 meltdowns a day coz dd is the same but not with physical violence (touch wood). My heart goes out to you as I know how hard it is and it must be even harder for you with the violence.

No advice I'm afraid chuck but lots of hugs xx

Pipinjo it is something that I'm defo wondering. She's been hard work from starting the terrible two's but was an unusually placid baby. She has never met her father only contact via Internet yet her behaviours remind me of him (I didn't know he'd got bi-polar till after dd was born). She has symptoms of a variety of neurological disorders but in testing conditions (one to one with adults) comes across ok. School have witnessed the many behaviours we do and they don't know what to do so have called in Ed Psych. They are talking of requesting a referral to a long term assessment (mental health)school if no joy from clinical psych. Having said that my DS aged 4 (different father) is under assessment for ASD and he has hypermobility with disordered speech. He is nothing like dd and is really easy going but has social anxiety. My niece is also under assessment, my sister has dyslexia/dyspraxia and hypermobility. My other sister has something not quite right and ticks the boxes for PDA (history of drug and alcohol abuse and now agoraphobia) It's all turning into a bit of a mess. All these things have only recently come to light.

I just want to be able to leave the house with him on weekends(we stay in house from friday to monday morning) We cant use garden as he is verbally aggressive to the neighbours (will mess in garden given half a chance) Cant take him to local park as he causes scenes and is violent. I have begged and pleaded for help and he has another appointment in April, dont know what doctors are waiting for?

I think the school is only a day school but is connected to the hospital. We have to get answers because my dd's and our lives are impacted so much and no one knows what to do. School are frustrated because all they are managing to do is keep her safe as she is so vulnerable and not adequately teach her.

My neice who is 12 is under assessment for ASD and my sister ticks every box for PDA but could quite easily be bipolar. Managed to get mental health team to visit my sister on the 21st of this month and hopefully they will help but she could do with sectioning otherwise I fear that her body will pack in after the years of abuse. It's nearly happened so many times but she has the body of a 60/70 year old at the age of 35!