The Bipolar Child (Third Edition): The Definitive and Reassuring Guide to Childhood's Most Misunderstood Disorder

Bipolar children tend to have a strong early sexual interest and behavior.

style and the child’s temperament and needs. It’s safe to bet, however, that the child won’t be the one to change first. The parents, who are infinitely more flexible, will have to exercise that flexibility for quite a while. But there is every reason to believe that reasonableness will come back into the relationship once the child is medically tr

The mood and behavior of a child who is becoming manic tends to be labile—it shifts dramatically and often. One day can be fairly uneventful; the next day hospitalization may seem imminent as psychotic symptoms appear and violent outbursts occur. This can be very confusing for the family members (and the child), who never know what to expect or how

Many of our friends and even some of the professionals who work with us have not seen Robby in his full glory. They cannot believe that this sweet, charming, affectionate, and outgoing child could possibly be violent or bipolar. They just assume we are not firm enough with him, or pay too much attention to him.

Our study of 120 children with early-onset bipolar disorder revealed that over 60 percent had some pronounced degree of separation distress, often preceding any other diagnosable psychiatric symptoms. These children expressed great fearfulness and anxiety about the loss of their parents, exaggerated worries about harm befalling their parents, and e

You need the diagnosis because it explains so much of the emotional and behavioral experiences of the child, and it guides the appropriate treatment and helps avoid the use of medications that could worsen the course of the illness. An accurate and early diagnosis allows the family to develop plans for the future, to make better decisions, and to o

Another woman said, “Humor is best. I can sometimes defuse very volatile situations by making jokes. Reasoning with the child is useless. So is force. I make every attempt to stay very calm.”

So, the parent must step out of time and place and become the parent this child needs, not the parent that society (and the parent’s ego) dictates. It requires an almost superhuman love, where the parent’s expectations are set aside and the needs of the child are met first. A father wouldn’t insist that a blind child play basketball because all the

While the entire family sitting around the dinner table is a pleasant image, a child who has tantrums for three hours and throws food all over the kitchen as a result of a parent’s strong “request” isn’t. Such fantasies have to be let go of for a while.