[dizzielizzie86]

Good evening (or afternoon/morning).

My husband has had bipolar disorder (he's a I) for as long as we've been together (12 years) so I'm not new to this; however, I am possibly new to something else.

The two of us are strongly suspicious that our 6 year old daughter has bipolar disorder. We've been working with various behavioral medicine professionals trying to figure out what is going on with her for 2 years. No one gives us any clues. She's been clinically diagnosed with ADHD and Oppositional Defiance Disorder and we had her evaluated for high functioning autism but she either doesn't meet the criteria (autism) or she's beyond a "typical" ADHD/ODD child.

Bipolar Disorder didn't occur to us until she, very recently, went through 2 weeks of sleeping from 10 hours to 3-4 hours a night without being remotely tired from the abrupt change. There was no change in her medication, routine, or diet. But now that it smacked us in the face, things are falling into place that didn't quite fit into her possible HFA diagnosis.

She seems to mostly fall into mixed episodes and then will abruptly spend 1-2 weeks in either manic or depressive phase. Keep in mind that these are my observations. She's not suicidal but when she is depressive, she won't eat, hates everything, and is very negative about herself and her abilities. Her manic phase is fairly "classic".

But since she spends most of the time in her mixed episode, I'll describe those with more detail. Her mood shifts keep me on my toes. She's unpredictable. We can be having a great time and then out of nowhere, she gets angry and violent. She screams, hits, kicks, cries. The most common plea I give during this time is "Why are you so angry?" She seems to spend most of her time quickly going back and forth and I've noticed transitions (all sorts) can be a trigger for her.

Her school describes her as a bright, intelligent child who is friendly and willing to help out others. She's a bit behind socially but nothing alarming. Her teacher has mentioned there are times when she'll just up and refuse to do something but he usually can diffuse the situation. She responds better to males and always has.

We have her on Adderall XR during school and while we do give it to her at home, it does zilch. The best way we can describe it is that it gives her a little more focus. In fact, I'm wondering if the XR is making her mixed episodes more severe.

My husband has been watching her and her behavior worries him because she's EXACTLY like him but without the control he has on some of his behaviors. We're taking her to her psychiatrist on Monday morning to discuss reevaluating her.

Any thoughts?

[jelly-bean]

It is wonderful that you and your husband are doing everything you can to help your daughter. If she is Bipolar it's great that you are getting the diagnosis at such a young age. Her prognosis willbe much better.

Hello dizzielizzie86: Welcome to PsychCentral. PC is a great place to gain support, learn strategies for handling mental health concerns, & to make internet friends. There are many wonderfully supportive members here on PsychCentral.

With regard to your daughter, the only thing I can really say is that taking her to see a psychiatrist is a good step. Having her seen by a qualified child psychologist may also be beneficial. If there is a university near you that has a child psychology or psychiatry program, this might be a good place to start

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