Comments on: How early in life can a person begin to show signs of bipolar?

By: ClareAnn R

ClareAnn R — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 07:02:36 +0000

My neighbor boy has bipolar disorder and he is 9 years old.

By: soultana b

soultana b — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 07:02:36 +0000

It does depend on the person! Some ppl you can tell really early and like your son later!

By: sidekick

sidekick — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 07:02:36 +0000

bipolar is something that starts around 15 or 16 and nobody knows why yet.

By: kwanyin_mama

kwanyin_mama — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 07:02:36 +0000

i’ve wondered that myself sometimes – i’m bipolar and my daughter is very like me – but then again, she’s three and three-year-olds are pretty nuts anyway, just by virtue of their age.

i guess the challenge would be determining what’s age-appropriate behavior and what’s beyond normal paramaters. also it will depend on the child’s ability to communicate. until they can speak, it will be hard to separate a physical problem from an emotional/mood based one.

anyway i didn’t know that bipolar was related to brain trauma – is it really? i’ve never heard that before, and i’ve done a lot of digging about it.

the way i understand it, you can have a predilection for bipolar disorder that can be intensified or triggered by several things – hormonal changes, high-stress situations, emotional trauma, etc. Motherhood did it for me.

By: jason d

jason d — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 07:02:36 +0000

Definitely very young. With age the symptoms become more noticeable because of the more frequent episodes of high and low. Bipolar is usually only diagnosed after 25 if at all. I suffer bipolar and would love any suggestions for effective treatment other than drugs.
I have no physical trauma myself, but I assume there could be a link between the brain trauma you mentioned.
Bipolar runs in my family. I was raised in an abusive, neglected environment. I’m happy to see you taking an active role in your son’s life.