Bi-Polar in Children

[Phyllis]

There was a post on the NAMI board the otherday about a 3 year old with Bi-Polar. Do you think it is possible for a 3 year old to be diagnosed with BP? I personally think that is too young. I believe the parents were going in for a second opinion but they had the child on Resperidal (sp?).

[donna14]

I don't think a 3yo can be diagnosed.  When my dd was diagnosed she was eight and I was told that is the earliest that doctors will diagnose.  Parents have to be careful because a lot of damage can be done by an incorrect or unnecessary diagnosis.  On a personal note, I think most three year olds, could meet a lot of the criteria.  They are just to self-centered and self-focused to tell if they have anything going on.  JMHO.

Donna

[clayton]

TOO YOUNG!

[DJ]

Children are lunatics...  It's part of being a child.

At three years old, a child can not communicate well enough to convey many feelings that they have, or to understand their environment.  Certain food colorings make my son go insane, but I will not medicate him so that he can eat M&M's.  My nephew is 12, and gets really mean when he eats certain foods.  It took my sister years to pinpoint what ingredients had to be cut from his diet.  His teachers wanted to label him as having ADD, turns out that bread yeast just makes him nuts.

Even if BP is possible at three years old, every other possible cause of imbalance should be ruled out first.  Being thorough in ruling everything else out would take more time than a three year old could possibly offer.