Bipolar Disorder in Children – A Call For Caution

Introduction
Most treatment professionals working with children and adolescents are acutely aware of the rise in the rate at which children and adolescents, but most significantly pre-pubescent children, are being diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder. While estimates vary from article to article, it is interesting to note several recently reported statistics. The New York Times, in an article released in September of 2007, noted that in the 10 year span from 1993 to 2003, there was a forty-fold increase in the rate at which this population was being diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder, while a more scholarly article (Youngstrom, 2005) noted that marked increases had been found in the rate of diagnosing in children of those involved with Child Protective Services in Illinois. Other writers have pointed to this sharp increase in the rate, some positively (NYT, 2007, Papalos and Papalos, 2006), even saying that there needs to be even more of an increase. Others, however, have expressed alarm at this sharp increase, and have pleaded with professionals to have a more conservative approach to diagnosing this in pre-adults. There is much debate in the field, hotly opinioned views, and contention in the field brought on by the huge gulf between the most liberal, and the most conservative, in terms of this diagnosis. To some extent, this divide is evident between Psychiatrists and Psychologists, and indeed, the previously noted NY Times article pointed out that 90% of the diagnosing of Bipolar Disorder in children was being done by psychiatrists. However, there are many other mental health professionals, including psychologists and other non-psychiatric folk in the field, who take the liberal approach shared by many psychiatrists.

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