Bipolar Disorder

Children suffering from Bipolar Disorder may resemble children with ADHD. Additional features may include horrendous nightmares and intense temper tantrums.The following site provides information and support: Child & Adolescent Bipolar Foundation

There has been a 40-fold increase in the diagnosis of Bipolar Disorder in children (though there is some controversy surrounding this).

Bipolar Disorder is a serious mental illness affecting about 2,300,000 Americans. True Bipolar Disorder requires treatment. It is unlikely that either psychotherapy alone or medication alone will be sufficient. Both are called for. Children with Bipolar Disorder often suffer severely. Several psychological approaches have been demonstrated to be helpful. Pharmacological treatment is usually essential, but often it is neither simple nor without significant side effects. For this reason, it is important to be aware of nutritional aides to treatment that, at the least, may reduce the necessary medication dosage. 

A mild case of Bipolar Disorder, if well managed, may not deter one from one's life plans, as demonstrated by the many well-known people believed to suffer from Bipolar Disorder. There is speculation that two American presidents may have suffered from Bipolar Disorder: Abraham Lincoln (unipolar depression is more likely) and Teddy Roosevelt, whose stated delight in combat during the Spanish American War certainly sounds like he was in a manic state.