The Bipolar Child: The Definitive and Reassuring Guide to Childhood's Most Misunderstood Disorder

From the authors of the classic text Overcoming Depression, here is the first book about early-onset bipolar disorder. Bipolar disorder--manic depression--was once thought to be rare in children. Now researchers are discovering that not only can bipolar disorder begin very early in life, but also that it is much more common than ever imagined. Yet the illness is often misdiagnosed or overlooked. Why? Bipolar disorder manifests itself differently in children than in adults, and in children there is an overlap of symptoms with other childhood psychiatric disorders. As a result, these kids may be given any number of psychiatric labels: "ADHD," "Depressed," "Oppositional Defiant Disorder," "Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder," or "Separation Anxiety Disorder." Too often they are treated with stimulants or antidepressants--medications that can actually worsen the bipolar condition. The Bipolar Child demystifies this disorder of childhood. Drawing upon recent advances in the fields of neurosci