Even though the concept of maniac and melancholia was discovered by French physiologist, the concept came in limelight due to German psychiatrist Emil Kraepelin in the 19th century. He clarified the term ‘mania depressive disorder’ that is referred to all types of mood disorders. Further, in 1957 Karl Leonhard sorted and categorized all disorder terms. He divided them in two main terms- uni polar disorder -major depressive disorder and bipolar disorder.
Bipolar disorder also known as manic depressive disorder causes fluctuation in moods. It ranges from low level of depression to high level of mania. An individual suffering from depression usually feels hopeless or sad. These people lose interest in living. They are unable to enjoy pleasures in most of the activities. The moment their mood lifts up- they feel highly energetic and happy. This cycle occur frequently throughout the day. Sometimes it may not even appear for entire day.
Though most of the researches had initially found bipolar disorder maximally occurs in adults, but even kids are not spared from this disease.
According to medical data, occurrence of bipolar disorder in children is almost 1%. Well it might surprise you that this percentage is similar to the rate found in adults. Children having family background of bipolar disorder are at higher risk of getting affected with bipolar disorder. In case of kids, the cycle of fluctuating moods occur several times in a day. This causes numerous difficulties to carry out daily functioning at home, with peer group, or at school. It leads to problems such as destructive outbursts, alternation in school performance, and absence in school. These are the common problems faced by children in day-to day life. The symptoms of bipolar disorder in children are easily noticed.
In certain cases, the symptoms of bipolar disorder in children are similar to that of depression and mania. These symptoms should be quickly consulted with doctors. Neglecting the symptoms will worsen the condition in children. Kids are unable to communicate about the modification occurring in their body, but parents have to understand and find out the change as quickly as possible. It is very much essential to seek an immediate medical attention for bipolar disorders. The common bipolar symptoms in children are slightly different from the ones that occur in children. The researchers have described the early bipolar disorder symptoms as:
* Anxious about separation
* Short temper cycles
* Frustration
* Hyperactivity
* Dizziness
* Extreme weakness
* Restlessness
* Hastening thoughts
* Craving for carbohydrate
* Frequent Fluctuation in moods
* Violent behavior
* Showiness
* Capricious behavior
* Low mood/ depressed
* Hyper sensitive
* Social anxiety
* Laziness
* Low self confidence
* Unable to wake up in morning
Well, these are the classic symptoms of bipolar disorder which are slightly different from the symptoms of bipolar disorder in children. Children suffer from numerous different symptoms such as:
* Bed wetting is especially found in boys
* Difficulty in speech or pressured speech
* Obsessed behavior
* Too much day dreaming
* Night terrors
* Problem with learning skills
* Poor short term memory
* Hyper sexuality in children
* Lying
* Suicidal thoughts
* Hallucination and illusion
* Disabled motor and vocal skills
* Spoofing behavior
This disorder needs life long treatment, as they are recurring throughout the life. It can be managed with various treatment such as medication, hospitalization, ECT, counseling, Psychotherapy, and regular exercise. Feed your child with nutritional food, as they require ample of nutrition to strengthen their immune system.