Bipolar Disorder in Children
What to Do If You Think Your Child Has Bipolar Disorder
https://www.verywellmind.com/symptoms-of-bipolar-disorder-in-children-378860
Above is a link to an article if you have concerns about bipolar in a child. For me as someone who fully manifested as Bipolar aged 24 this whole area is a bit of a dilemma. I do often find myself wondering did early symptoms present themselves in youth. In truth I think there is a strong argument to say yes they did. I distinctly remember my first bout of depression happening around the age of 14. It was noticeable to others and at one point our local minister approached me with concerns regarding my withdrawn state. It’s interesting that he remarked it was in stark contrast to my usual jovial full of beans self. All very Bipolar behaviour.
The article above talks of ‘night terrors’. That’s actually quite an ominous term for someone who dreams heavily every night (some dreams may be unsettling) Bipolar people are prone to this. I’ve always been a heavy dreamer. To not have dreams throughout any given night would be unusual for me. I dream every night and it contributes to my fractured sleeping pattern. Sometimes the dreams do unsettle but more often they’re benign and even enjoyable. Mines have repetitive themes and patterns. Dreaming is as much a part of night time to me as the moon is to the rest of us.
However there is one night terror incident that does stick in my mind from when I was around five or six years old. I had been unwell with quite a decent flu. My parents had given me some form of treatment for it. That night I had gone through to my two sisters room and snuggled up beside them. I clearly remember waking up to a scene of absolute terror. The entire room, the walls, the ceiling, the bed clothes were crawling with insects. I was hallucinating and the hallucinations were vividly realistic. I terrified everybody with the screams that were leaving me. I remember being taken into my mum and dads room but could still see pockets of insects in there, but now they were less prevalent. My dad eventually managed to calm me and after a while the hallucinations ended. It’s only in more recent years I’ve begun to wonder if this was some kind of very early manifestation of the condition. Or was it just a kid with a really bad flu.
That’s the dilemma this causes me that I mentioned earlier. I’m not so sure as to where I stand with treating young children for Bipolar. My own personal choice is I’m glad I wasn’t. I think somethings you have to experience to get a full handle on whether there is some serious underlying problem or not. Young people are a huge bag of conundrums at the best of times. I think that’s a positive of being young. I’m sure treatment at an early age would have altered many courses in my life. Yes some of those routes took me to bad places, but also many routes led to wonderful places. It’s a conundrum. It all also falls into that big question of who would I be without the condition. But these are only my personal choices with a lifetime of experience behind me. That’s why I’ve posted the link above. I do still believe it is something we need to consider.
Peace. x
Mind Palaver 