Bipolar or not

Many children have been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. The question is: Are they really bipolar? According with a panel of experts of the American Psychiatric Association, bipolar disorder may not be the right diagnose for many children (Spiegel, 2010). The number of children diagnosed with bipolar disorder has been increase 4,000 percent since the mid of 1990s. At present, at least 1million children in the United States have been diagnosed with the disease (Spiegel, 2010). Very shocking number, probably this number is not accurate, therefore could be that this number is the result of wrong diagnosis.
What is bipolar disorder? “Bipolar disorder (also known as manic-depression) is a chronic brain disorder marked by bouts of extreme and impairing changes in mood, energy, thinking,and behavior. Symptoms may emerge either suddenly or gradually during childhood, adolescence, or adulthood” (The American Legion Child Welfare Foundation Inc, 2009). Bipolar disorder is also known as mood disorder. Because some of the symptoms of bipolar disorder are changes in mood, energy, thinking, and behavior, the doctor’s associate children with change in mood or behavior problem withbipolar. When in reality could not be the right diagnosis for many children with those problems.
Bipolar disorder is a condition that does not affect every child in the same way. The duration of the symptoms and the response to treatment are difference for every child. The pediatric bipolar disorder is a neurodevelopmental disorder, according with recent researches. The diagnosis and symptomsof a psychiatric illness might modify as the child grows, because parts of the brain mature at different rates and times, also the brain maturation is not complete until an individual is 25 years old or so. Even though, this condition does not have a cure yet, it is always a hope, having more accurate diagnosing and having better treatments, perhaps will becomes a cure (Martha Hellander (J.D.),2009).
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV), is the standard reference for diagnosing psychiatric disorders. When the DSM-IV was published for first time on 1994, the entire focus was on adult-onset bipolar disorder. Since the time pass they understood that children and adolescent can have bipolar disorder also (Martha Hellander (J.D.), 2009). “Some of ill childrenmeet the textbook definition of bipolar disorder. Some of ill children with severe mood dysregulation might not meet the textbook definition because they don't have distinct episodes of certain duration or have few clear periods of wellness between episodes. They might have rapid and severe cycling between moods or they might present in a mixed state that produces chronic irritability. Expertshave not yet reached consensus as to whether children with chronic irritability and clear mood swings, but without mania, should be classified as having bipolar disorder” (Martha Hellander (J.D.), 2009). The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) describes four types of bipolar disorder: Bipolar I, Bipolar II, Bipolar Disorder NOS (Not Otherwise Specified), and Cyclothymia(Martha Hellander (J.D.), 2009).
Bipolar I- is when the child experiences one or more episodes of mania. The child may or may not present episode of depression. The symptoms of the mania include: euphoria, grandiosity, flight of ideas or racing thoughts, more talkative than usual or pressure to keep talking, irritability or hostility when demands are not met, excessive distractibility, decreasedneed for sleep without daytime fatigue, excessive involvement in pleasurable but risky activities (daredevil acts, hyper sexuality), flight of ideas or racing thoughts, poor judgment, and hallucinations and psychosis. In order to an episode qualify as mania there must be elevated mood plus at least three other symptoms, or irritable mood plus at least four other symptoms. The symptoms of...