They have found that it is most likely inherited. It is likely that a Bipolar adult will have a bipolar child (children) .

Children can show signs of COBPD as early as infancy.  Some of the odd behaviors of children at this age would be difficulty sleeping, easily over responsive to stimuli, and sleep disturbances/night terrors. The unfortunate part is that it is very hard to diagnose at this age. These symptoms can be the result of other problems including sleep disorders, colic, and AD(H)D.

Later symptoms are:
Hyperactivity
Fidgityness
Difficulty with change
High anxiety
Easily frustrated
Difficulty controlling anger
Impulsive
Prolonged and violent temper tantrums

Rarely does it occur alone an estimated 50 -80% of those with COBPD have AD(H)D . Medications for AD(H)D have shown to escalate mood and behavioral fluctuations. It is very important to address COBPD  Before AD(H)D. Some clinicians believe that stimulants could trigger the disease and negatively influence cycling.

(note: My son was originally treated for ADHD , even though I am BP. He had a bad reaction to the stimulants he was given, causing him to go into serious rages where he was extremely violent and we could not control him. After we took him off the medication, he calmed down, but never went back to the way he was before the medication. His original Pdoc only saw the ADHD symptoms and wanted to watch for the BP, even though she knew my history. I am certain the medications for ADHD caused his BP to trigger and caused him to start cycling)

Studies have shown that 80% of children who develop COBPD have 5+symptoms of AD(H)D. These symptoms include Distractibility, Lack of attention to detail, difficulty following through with tasks, motor restlessness, difficulty waiting for their turn, interruption or intrusion on others. This is what leads to the misdiagnosis of the illness and causes these children to be placed on Stimulants for AD(H)D. These symptoms typically show before the mood swings and temper tantrums.

There are similar behaviors that occur in both AD(H)D and COBPD, but they have different  origins.  Misbehavior and destructiveness are symptoms of both disorders but in children with AD(H)D they seem to be due to carelessness and inattention where as with COBPD they seem intentional. Physical out bursts and temper tantrums can be triggered by emotional or sensory over stimulation where as in COBPD it can be caused simply by disappointment, parental or educational limit setting ( as in an authority figure saying no to a request or disciplining negative behaviors) The tamper tantrums can last about 15 to 30 minutes for an AD(H)D child where as a child with COBPD can continue to feel angry for hours and also show remorse when  they are finished and express that they have no control. Also irritability and sleep disturbances often accompanied by night terrors that contain morbid or life threatening content such as death of a loved one or self, war, violent crimes, or lass due to disaster are present with children who are COBPD but not as often with Children who are AD(H)D.

School
Children who have COBPD can show deficits in shifting or sustaining attention, difficulty in controlling spontaneous motor function once initiated , distractibility, daydreaming, impulsiveness, mischievous  outbursts of energy that are difficult for the child to control, and sudden outbursts interruptions or intrusions in the class room. About the age of 6-8 years they start to develop stubborn, oppositional, and/or bossy behaviors . Other symptoms are unnecessary risk taking, disobedience to authority figures, and a likely hood of addiction to psycoactive drugs like marijuana and Cocaine for self medication.

A high % of children with COBPD, also have coinciding Learning disorders. This could have a negative affect on school performance and self esteem

Teachers need to be educated about this disorder, its common behaviors, symptoms and nature of COBPD. A  teacher who does not have knowledge of this disorder will have a hard time being able to deal with and help the child. Talk to your teacher about the disorder, direct them to web sites, give them reading materials and help the teacher to understand what your child needs and how to react to his behaviors. There are also classes that teachers can take to learn about how to deal with children who emotional disorders. Ask for an IEP study to be done for your child. Create a behavior plan with your school principal and teachers that outlines the disciplinary action for misbehavior and rewards for acceptable behavior, and ask about special class rooms for their classes that they can earn their way out of and into regular circulation with appropriate behavior and performance. Be very involved with the school. Dont worry about being pushy or think that no news is good news. Have regular communication with teachers and principal at your school.

First Line of Treatment
The first thing that needs to be done is stabilize your childs moods, psychotic symptoms, and sleep problems. Sometimes just getting these issues taken care of can cause great relief for everyone involved. Once these issues are under control, Therapy will help your child understand this illness, how it affects them and learn to deal with it. There may also be some under lying issues as far as treatment ( older / younger brother/ sister (non -COBPD) gets treated differently, someone broke promises, or that children pick on them) and therapy will help them to deal with these issues as well.

Many Medications are currently being used to treat children with COBPD. Many have not been studied for use on children, but have good effects on adults. These medications are being used to help children deal with their illness with positive results. These medications can be mood stabilizers, anti-psychotics , anti - convulsants, Lithium and anti- depressants.

Anti-depressants can cause children to have manic episodes and need to be used with a mood stabilizer in many cases. Zolft has been studied and found to be a good one to use with children. Visit http://my.webmd.com/content/article/72/8/887.htm http://my.webmd.com/content/article/72/8/887.htm and
 http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/08/27/earlyshow/health/main570496.shtml
for information on this drug.

Lamictal is not recommended for those under 16 years

The makers of Neurotin (Gabapentin) are currently in litigation for allegedly marketing this medication for uses that it is not suitable, including Bipolar Disorder. Please visit  http://www.psycheducation.org/depression/meds/neurontin.htm www.psycheducation.org/depression/meds/neurontin.htm
http://bipolar.about.com/cs/neurontin_suit.htm
http://www.npr.org/display_pages/features/feature_920326.html


Most of the information on the page is researched from  http://www.nami.org
I am not a doctor. Any comments made on this page are from research or from personal experience. It is written for the soul purpose of information on this illness and is not meant for Diagnosis .Only a doctor can DX Bipolar disorder or any other mental, mood or emotional disorder. If your child exhibits symptoms that are bothersome or detrimental to the health and well being of your child or others around them, please contact your physician or mental health professional.
Home
Childhood Onset Bipolar Disorder ( COBPD) is what they call the form of Bipolar in children. Children who are afflicted tend to rapid cycle much worst than adults. They call this ultra - ultra rapid cycling or ultradian. These children can be happy one minute and then sad or angry the next, sometimes with no apparent trigger, sometimes with small things that most kids can handle, like a lower grade than expected, not getting what they want for dinner, losing a game, or having to do chores.