Bipolar disease is a disorder that is characterized by a person shifting from two mood cycles: mania, which is characterized by euphoria, hallucinations and hyperactivity, and depression, which is characterized by sadness, withdrawal and lack of energy. DSM-IV, or the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, is used to diagnose bipolar disorder; however, it was originally intended for the diagnosis of the disorder in adults. However, children have shown to have these mood cycles and can be diagnosed with pediatric bipolar disease.
Step 1
Rule out other psychological disorders. Because the symptoms of pediatric bipolar disease are similar to other disorders that afflict children, make sure your child does not have another disorder. Examples include ADHD, generalized anxiety disorder, depression, oppositional-defiant disorder, conduct disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, panic disorder and reactive attachment disorder. The diagnosis for these disorders are also included in the DSM-IV.
Step 2
Rate your child's level of mania. Symptoms of mania include an elevated mood, grandiosity, hyperactivity, excessive talking, irritability, more distracted, poor judgment, hallucinations, psychosis and excessive participation in risky activity. If your child displays one or more episodes of mania---either an elevated mood and three other symptoms or an irritable mood and four other symptoms---this is classified as bipolar I.
Step 3
Rate your child's level of depression. Symptoms of depression include a lack of pleasure, withdrawal from normal activities, agitation, sadness or crying spells, sleep problems, concentration difficulties, suicidal thoughts, lack of energy, appetite changes and feeling worthless. If your child displays recurrent periods of depression with interspersed episodes of normal or hypomania (slight mania) moods, then this is classified as bipolar II.
Step 4
Observe which type of bipolar disease is emerging in your child. However, if you notice that your child has severe mood dysregulation that has a serious impairment on his life but it does not seem to fit under the categories of bipolar I or bipolar II, it is classified as bipolar disorder NOS, or bipolar disorder not otherwise specified. Keep watching your child's behavior, as it might change.
Step 5
Observe the severity of your child's symptoms. If your child does have recurrent periods of definite mood swings that impairs his life but they seem to be less severe, this is classified as cyclothymia. However, there are two things to keep in mind with cyclothymia: the level of severity is objective, so make sure a doctor is the one to give the official diagnosis. Also, cyclothymia may progress into full bipolar disorder, so keep an eye on whether your child's symptoms get worse.
