Curious. What's wrong with the "our child was different from the time she was born" rap? She definitely seemed to be an abnormally hyperactive bugger. Especially if she got suspended from KINDERGARTEN. Really, who gets suspended from kindergarten?

Phil,

My parents can tell you the same thing....that I was different from about the time I was adopted, about 8 months old. Brighter than the other kids, more curious, but didn't like other kids, wanted to be myself, etc. By the time I was 4 I had already tried to kill myself, and had a very hard time dealing with my peers.

I am not blessed yet with children, but I have had child psych classes and love my friends children. I never behaved like them.Perhaps in this day and age, I would have been diagnosed at a younger age, instead of at 23 years old.

I tend to agree with you, until I talk to my parents and they tell me how different I was from my sibs, my cousins, other kids in the neighborhood.

Every kid is "different." Why do "bipolar" kids get to dominate the market on "different"? What about a kid being extremely talented? Artistic, athletic, really good at spelling? What about a kid crying a lot or spending "too much time" in front of the computer? First define "normal", and then we can define "different." I'm tired of this bourgeois, therapy-saturated notion of "i was different since the womb." Yes, EVERYBODY else is SO normal, and they're all the same, but you were and are- "different." Listen folks, every kid wants to feel special. So do self-obsessed adults who never grew up.

incidentally- this is not directed at any person -or poster- in particular. just a general musing on the post-diagnosis ascribing of complex meanings to past childhood behaviors.

i simply think that in huge percentage of cases that mountains are being made out of molehills. but then i am just being super skeptical, especially of people being able to tell their kids were problems when they were newborns. but then child development simply doesn't have enough data around it. so maybe i am completely wrong.

My youngest daughter is a self-taughter reader by age 4. She was tested at age 8 for reading and comprehension level to equal 8th grade level. She played beautiful piano by age 11 and also by age 11 she had won visual arts categories in art contests. She was like my other 2 daughters. Bright, smart, funny and talented musicians and
artists.
Only one heard voices by age 11.She is my only daughter out of 3 to be medicated by age 11. She just had a re-evaluation of testing in school at age almost 19 yrs old. She tested 2nd grade reading level and comprehension. Stunned? so am I. Was it the meds? One may never know. Is she still carefree? not at all.Her spirit is gone, I see glimmers now and then, but after a year in a hospital with over 11 med trials, she came home a quiet spiritless person. I hope to see the spirit return some day.
In 2nd grade when the teacher told me she thought she was odd, and didn't play on the playground like other kids did, I told the teacher to back off. She's a bookworm and a creative and talented kid with spirit.That teacher wanted her to see a psychologist at school in 2nd grade with that as her baseline. I said stuff it.

As for myself if we are to look at comparisons: I always swept the science fair and social studies fairs with the 1st place awards, and ribbons, trophies abound. I have enough oil paintings completed by age 12 that have to be boxed up for lack of space to display. I was a loner at recess, and was sent to the Principal in 3rd grade for defying the dress code.
I was diagnosed at age 46 "officially" bipolar.
I loved my carefree and unmedicated childhood.
In this world, I truly feel, we are all something. Call it what you want, but less is best meds-wise, and if you can get by w/out em as a kid or adult, go for it.Save the medications for extreme cases, especially when dealing with children.

One more thing re: my daughter and the whole notion of dx since birth thing.
She is my 3rd child and one I describe as "the dream baby". Never cried, and always smiled.
Psychiatrists themselves are the ones that asked me over and over this last year about her childhood development. They expected me to know what her first word was, as well as first steps, etc. Because she was a late walker and talker they red-flagged her case.
I think no one has any answers is the right answer.

hello. my child freaks out over when i have the littelest mistekes like one time i used her toothbrush. and she freaked out throwing tumper tandrum. adn throwing her toothbrush. telling me " whats your promlem? now i cant brush my teeth!" is she bipolar? because it runs in the faimley.

Annonomous:

First, how old is your child? The reason I ask is because some tantrums are typical of certain ages. Generally between the ages of 5 - 10, although the tantrums do tend to get milder with time (age). Simply throwing a tantrum is not enough to qualify your child for BPD. Unforntunately, you must track her moods, tantrums, depressions, for at least 1 - 2 months. Then, instead of self diagnosing her, I would present the mood diary to her general pediatrician. Good pediatricians will do what they can to inform you of expected behavior of a child of "x" age. If they see anything that stands out, they may ask to talk to your daughter, or refer you to a specialist. This is still not the time to go straight for the meds. Only after your child has been officially "diagnosed" do you begin discussing treatment, with or with out meds. Generally, a good phsychiatrist will only offer meds for children under 13 if they feel that the disorder is causing "life-interuptions" such as a potential suicide, or the threat of harming others.

As for BPD running in your family, yes, it is possible that your child may become afflicted with this disability - yes, it is a disability, not a disease. However, before you decide that just because it runs in the family you should have her medicated, arm yourself with as much information about BPD as you can. There are numerous sites on the web, as many books on the subject as could fill your local library, and more research on this disability than anyone would ever need to learn about it.

That being said, I have BPD and am an ultradian cycler (cycle two to three times a day). So, I also worry about my children developing symptoms. For now, everything that my child of 9 has done has been explained as "typical behavior" for their age by her pediatrician. I do see signs of what I think may be manifestations, and track them diligently. Then I present them to her pediatrician and both my psychologist and psychiatrist to get their take on it. While they do see what they call slight manifestations, they have not yet reccomended that I take her in for an evaluation.

Do yourself a favor, log any and every mood change your child has, present it for a doctors review, and then present it to your doctors for review. If you have BPD, you should be seeing someone about it - even if it is only your general practicioner. Trust what they tell you, then, get a second opinion. Even if your child does have BPD, medicating is not always the answer.

Best of luck,

Chris