Bipolar disorder, also known as manic depression, is serious brain illness. While most people with bipolar disorder develop the condition in their late teens or early adulthood, it can affect children. According to the Child & Adolescent Bipolar Foundation, children with bipolar disorder may be susceptible to substance abuse and even suicide. Children with bipolar disorder can treated with three types of drugs: lithium, anti-convulsive drugs and atypical antipsychotics. A doctor also may prescribe antidepressants to help manage depressive episodes.
Lithium
Lithium, a mood-stabilizing drug, is a commonly used treatment for bipolar disorder and has a long history of use with bipolar patients. It may help reduce the risk of suicide and also helps reduce manic symptoms. In a 2005 article published in the "American Journal of Psychiatry," Dr. Andrea Cipriani wrote, "Lithium appears to reduce the risk of death and suicide by approximately 60% and the risk of a composite of suicide and deliberate self-harm by about 70%." Lithium is the only FDA-approved mood stabilizer for the treatment of childhood bipolar disorder. Although it is approved only for children over 12, the drug is also prescribed for younger children with bipolar disorder.
Anti-Convulsants
Bipolar disorder may also be treated with anti-convulsant drugs such as valproic acid and lamotrigine. Although anti-convulsants are primarily used to treat seizures, they also help to stabilize moods. According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), they are helpful for episodes that are difficult to treat. In addition, the NIMH also reports that some children respond better to anti-convulsants than drugs such as lithium.
Atypical Antipsychotics
Several atypical antipsychotic drugs are available for the treatment of bipolar disorder. These include risperidone, aripiprazole, olanzapine, quetiapine and ziprasidone. According to the NIMH, short-term treatment with risperidone helps reduce symptoms of mania or mixed mania in bipolar children over 10, while aripiprazole is approved to treat mania or mixed mania in children ages 10 to 17.
Antidepressaants
A doctor also may prescribe antidepressants--including fluoxetine, paroxetine and sertraline--to bipolar children to help manage depressive episodes associated with bipolar disorder. However, some health care professionals debate the effectiveness of antidepressants in managing depression in bipolar disorder. A 1998 NIMH-funded study found that adding an antidepressant to a mood stabilizer was no more effective in treating depression than using a mood stabilizer alone.
References
- Child & Adolescent Bipolar Foundation: Pediatric Bipolar Disorder - A Brain Illness
- American Journal of Psychiatry: Lithium in the Prevention of Suicidal Behavior and All-Cause Mortality in Patients With Mood Disorders: A Systematic Review of Randomized Trials
- National Institute of Mental Health: What treatments are available for children and teens with bipolar disorder?
