Bipolar Disorder
Background
Bipolar mood disorder, earlier known as manic-depressive illness, was formerly a diagnosis given only to adults. The concept that children could also be given this diagnosis first appeared in Sweden in 1969, but did not become popular until an influential article presenting the same idea was published in the USA in 1995. The title of this infamous article is *Paediatric-Onset Bipolar Disorder: A Neglected Clinical and Public Health Problem.*
A dubious diagnosis
Paediatric Bipolar Disorder (PBD) is a highly dubious diagnosis. Following its introduction in the USA, it became increasingly popular and has more recently also found favour in Europe and other countries. Statistics indicate that the diagnosis of PBD has now achieved epidemic proportions, particularly in the USA where child psychiatrists tend to rely more heavily on medication than their European counterparts. In the USA, it’s not uncommon to find children as young as three receiving being diagnosed with PBD. In the field of psychiatry, new trends originating in the USA are commonly disseminated around the world and it is therefore no surprise that PBD is becoming an increasingly popular diagnosis in many countries. Once a child has been diagnosed with PBD, they will, without exception, be prescribed powerful psychiatric medication that often has serious side effects.
Bipolar mood disorder, earlier known as manic-depressive illness, was formerly a diagnosis given only to adults. The concept that children could also be given this diagnosis first appeared in Sweden in 1969, but did not become popular until an influential article presenting the same idea was published in the USA in 1995.
Changing the name…
Recently, members of the psychiatric profession in the USA have taken action to stop children being diagnosed with PBD by removing the diagnosis from the latest version of the DSM, the official psychiatric classification manual, and replacing it with a more neutral diagnosis called Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder. Only time will tell if this new name for the diagnosis has any deterrent effect on the extensive and wide-scale medicating of children that has resulted from the spread of the PBD diagnosis. Changing the name does not necessarily change the game.
A wide-ranging definition
The primary reason for PBD being such a questionable diagnosis is that its defining characteristics are cast so wide that almost any child whose behaviour caregivers or teachers consider ‘difficult’ can be diagnosed as having the disorder. Both rapid mood swings (common in children) and temper tantrums (also common in children) are sufficient justification. Psychiatrists critical of the current trend, a growing international subgroup in the psychiatric profession, tend to regard PBD as an artificial label marketed with massive economic support from the pharmaceutical industry in order to justify medicating children using potent and hazardous drugs similar to those used in treating adults suffering from bipolar disorder and psychotic symptoms.
The solution-focused approach
When you help a child using the Kids’Skills steps, any diagnosis they have received from the medical profession is essentially irrelevant. What is relevant is the problems they have and the skills they need to learn in order to improve their lives. A PBD diagnosis is so vague that it does not indicate what a child’s problems really are. Experiencing rapid mood swings, having temper tantrums or exhibiting some type of aggressive behaviour are childhood problems that can all be handled by transforming them into new skills your child can learn and improve with the help of Kids’Skills.
Synopsis
Paediatric Bipolar Disorder (PBD) is a debatable diagnosis often given to children who suffer from common problems such as rapid mood swings, temper tantrums and aggressive outbursts. Without exception, a PBD diagnosis leads to medicating a child with powerful psychiatric drugs that have many undesirable side-effects.
When you’re helping children who have received this diagnosis, proceed as if the diagnosis simply doesn’t exist. Assess their problems in order to work out what skills they need to acquire, then help them learn and improve those skills.
Let your child determine which skill they want to start with, proceed in small steps and make learning fun with the help of the Kids’Skills steps. Once they have successfully learned a new skill using this method, they will be motivated to learn other new skills in the same way.
This article is owned by: Kids’Skills http://www.kidsskillsapp.com/
