Is it ADHD or Bi-Polar Disorder?

Bi-Polar Disorder, or Manic Depression, is characterized by mood swings, sometimes extreme, ranging from depressed to normal moods, or from depressed to manic episodes. Manic behaviors are often very similar to "hyperactive" behaviors, including motor restlessness, irritability, temper outbursts, sleeping less, or having higher levels of energy. It is rare. But it does happen.

About three times per year a child is brought to my office for an assessment for ADHD who ends up having "Early Onset Bi-Polar Disorder." These children are typically displaying very extreme behaviors, such as throwing their bicycle -- off of the roof -- at the policemen who have been called, and so on. (When I received that call I wasn't sure what to ask first. "What was he doing on the roof with his bike?" was the best I could think of. "He was going to ride off of the roof, of course." was the answer from the child's mom.)

The behaviors may not be constant or consistently displayed as one might expect from an ADHD child, and may be more extreme than one would expect from ADHD.

The big clue is taking a family history and seeing if either of the parents, their brothers or sisters, or their parents, have/had a bi- polar disorder. If so, then this clue will be very helpful in making a proper diagnosis. I usually refer families to UCLA for a better evaluation, but in your community you may need to rely on an evaluation by a very good psychiatrist (never go to a bad or even average psychiatrist, only good ones!). Ask about experience with bi-polar disorder in children.

Telephone teaching hospitals in your area if there are any, or call your local private psychiatric hospital. Don't ask the switch board operator for a referral, instead ask for the children's unit or the adolescent unit. Once transferred there, ask the unit nurse who they would recommend ("If it were your child, who would you take your child to see?") The nurses know.

Douglas Cowan, Psy.D., is a family therapist who has been working with ADHD children and their families since 1986. He is the clinical director of the ADHD Information Library's family of seven web sites, including http://www.newideas.net, helping over 350,000 parents and teachers learn more about ADHD each year. Dr. Cowan also serves on the Medical Advisory Board of VAXA International of Tampa, FL., is President of the Board of Directors for KAXL 88.3 FM in central California, and is President of NewIdeas.net Incorporated.

In The News:

pen paper and inkwell


cat break through


Play the Ball, Not the Man!

As parents and teachers, sometimes we want to praise, at... Read More

Ben Franklin and Thomas Jefferson Never Went To Public School

Most of our Founding Fathers, including Ben Franklin, Sam Adams,... Read More

Raising Boys

The last decade has seen heightened interest in and awareness... Read More

Parenting Your Teenager: Back to School Blues

Q: Our son has been in honors classes all through... Read More

Send the Kids Outside!

Think back to your own childhood. Chances are, some of... Read More

A Legacy For Dakota

Have you heard the song; "I Hope You Dance"? It... Read More

Theres a Lollipop on Your Bottom (and Other Terms of Endearment)

"I took care of Callie," my three-year-old announced.Callie had been... Read More

Say No to Mealtime Mayhem: Eating Out With Your Baby or Toddler

Many parenting books advise against eating out with young children.... Read More

The Hardest Job I Ever Had

I used to have a really challenging job. It was... Read More

Family Meals: When Dinner Schedules Dont Match

Mealtimes together deserve an important place in any family. Around... Read More

I Dont Believe in ADHD

O.K. I've heard it a hundred times from my prison... Read More

Parenting Your Teenager: The Trust Issue

Q. How do we decide what our teens should be... Read More

How Public Schools Coerce Parents Into Giving Mind-Altering Drugs To Their Children

Despite the potentially dangerous side-effects of Ritalin, public school authorities... Read More

When Parents Disagree

Moms and dads, are there times you think that parenting... Read More

Parenting Your Teenager: 7 Tips for Back to School Success

Blink. That's all we did, blink, and summer is ending... Read More

Protect your Kids Early with Safety Glasses

What exactly makes safety glasses different from regular glasses? There... Read More

Clean Slates and Fresh Starts

Hope, excitement and anxiety all wrapped up in fresh haircuts... Read More

Naming Your Baby Is Part of The Challenge of Being a Parent

Baby names are as diverse as the people to whom... Read More

Inattentive ADHD: Just Like Winnie the Pooh

Winnie the Pooh is the classic picture of Inattentive ADHD.... Read More

Think Like Your Kids - And Understand Them More!

Seven-year old Michael was on a school trip to a... Read More

My Stomach Hurts - I Cant Go to School Today!

It's the third time this week that Sam has complained... Read More

Personal Honor

There are moments in a parent's or grandparent's life, when... Read More

Motivation - The Key to Your Childs Educational Success

For the first year or two of life outside the... Read More

Co-sleeping, a personal story

When I was pregnant, we knew that we had some... Read More

Picky Eaters - The Dawn of Understanding

"In general my children refuse to eat anything that hasn't... Read More

Teacher Tips: Your Room Set-Up and ADHD Students

Thank you to all of our professional educators who dedicate... Read More

Guerilla Parenting Techniques: What Are They?

When you hear the phrase, 'guerrilla parenting techniques', what images... Read More

Adoption: Laughter and Tears

If you ever walk through an orphanage, it will be... Read More

Are Public Schools A Menace To Your Kids? -- 11 Danger Signals

Parents, do you have children who do poorly in school,... Read More

Psychological Effects of Child Abuse

Many children who suffer from the psychological effects of child... Read More

6 Signs You?re A High Maintenance Parent

The children of Baby Boomers, the Echo Generation, are entering... Read More

Ten Reasons to Tell your Kids Stories

In today's busy world, many parents have lost the art... Read More

Top 10 Things To Never Believe From Your Teenager

1) It's not my (pot, beer, cigarettes, etc.), I'm just... Read More