Bipolar Illness Soars as a Diagnosis for the Young

NY Times ^ | September 4, 2007 | BENEDICT CAREY

[neverdem]

The number of American children and adolescents treated for bipolar disorder increased 40-fold from 1994 to 2003, researchers report today in the most comprehensive study of the controversial diagnosis.

Experts say the number has almost certainly risen further since 2003.

Many experts theorize that the jump reflects that doctors are more aggressively applying the diagnosis to children, and not that the incidence of the disorder has increased.

But the magnitude of the increase surprises many psychiatrists. They say it is likely to intensify the debate over the validity of the diagnosis, which has shaken child psychiatry.

Bipolar disorder is characterized by extreme mood swings. Until relatively recently, it was thought to emerge almost exclusively in adulthood. But in the 1990s, psychiatrists began looking more closely for symptoms in younger patients.

Some experts say greater awareness, reflected in the increasing diagnoses, is letting youngsters with the disorder obtain the treatment they need.

Other experts say bipolar disorder is overdiagnosed. The term, the critics say, has become a catchall applied to almost any explosive, aggressive child.

After children are classified, the experts add, they are treated with powerful psychiatric drugs that have few proven benefits in children and potentially serious side effects like rapid weight gain.

In the study, researchers from New York, Maryland and Madrid analyzed a National Center for Health Statistics survey of office visits that focused on doctors in private or group practices. The researchers calculated the number of visits in which doctors recorded diagnoses of bipolar disorder and found that they increased, from 20,000 in 1994 to 800,000 in 2003, about 1 percent of...

--snip--

Dr. Mani Pavuluri, director of the pediatric mood disorders program at the University of Illinois, Chicago, said the label was often better than any of the other diagnoses often given to difficult children.

[neverdem]

National Trends in the Outpatient Diagnosis and Treatment of Bipolar Disorder in Youth

Results The estimated annual number of youth office-based visits with a diagnosis of bipolar disorder increased from 25 (1994-1995) to 1003 (2002-2003) visits per 100 000 population, and adult visits with a diagnosis of bipolar disorder increased from 905 to 1679 visits per 100 000 population during this period. In 1999 to 2003, most youth bipolar disorder visits were by males (66.5%), whereas most adult bipolar disorder visits were by females (67.6%); youth were more likely than adults to receive a comorbid diagnosis of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (32.2% vs 3.0%, respectively; P < .001); and most youth (90.6%) and adults (86.4%) received a psychotropic medication during bipolar disorder visits, with comparable rates of mood stabilizers, antipsychotics, and antidepressants prescribed for both age groups.

Go bananas with overdiagnosing ADHD/ADD in boys, and treating them with amphetamine like stimulants like Ritalin and Adderall, and now they want to diagnose them as bipolar because of episodes of rage?

IMHO, these shrinks are the ones who are nuts.

[neverdem]

It appears there could be a lot of unrecognized adverse drug reactions from the treatment of ADD/ADHD, IMHO.

[Son House]

Anyway for the anti-God to try proving wrong the biblical passage of spare the rod, spoil the child.

[neverdem]

Human-animal embryo study wins approval

Scientists report major stem cell advance

FReepmail me if you want on or off my health and science ping list.

[Smokin' Joe]

Many experts theorize that the jump reflects that doctors are more aggressively applying the diagnosis to children, and not that the incidence of the disorder has increased.

Part of growing up is learning to deal with the things life throws at you, learning when to behave yourself and when to howl at the moon. It also involves learning to control your temper.

The opportunities inherent in the playground dynamic of 30-40 years ago, to learn when to shut up, when to take a stand, etc. are gone, as is a part of the opportunity to roughhouse and get some of the wild-eyed agression out fo your system playing.

No wonder these kids are getting doped up.

I wonder if the percentage of girls being drugged into submission roughly equates with the percentage of 'tomboys' years ago? My bet is that it is pretty close.

[longtermmemmory]

The ADD and ADHD scam must be ending so they are shifting to something new.

Must be like the fashion industry deciding the new color de jour only this is the new malady de jour.

[longtermmemmory]

so before people were self medicating life’s problems with illegal drugs and/or alchohol.

Now they are just shifting dealers.

[DoughtyOne]

The researchers calculated the number of visits in which doctors recorded diagnoses of bipolar disorder and found that they increased, from 20,000 in 1994 to 800,000 in 2003.

When the day comes and this crap is recognized for what it is, I would sincerely like to see the physicians who did this to kids be stripped of all their worldly posessions and flogged in the public square.

These defenseless kids have nobody to protect them from these jackasses.

[Smokin' Joe]

We're talking kids, here. Most of whom were probably not using drugs or alcohol, at least early on.

As for adults, there are ways to cope, but how many adults have ADHD or Bipolar disorder, and are the numbers out of proportion?

As for adults, I know a lady who was diagnosed bipolar, and she dealt with it, not through medication, but by doing things. She baked, did crafts, sewed (Made me a great chamois shirt), and other things to keep busy when she felt she needed to deal with the 'funk'. Not only did she avoid meds, but she really got a lot done and developed some innate talents.

So no, not everyone crawled into the bottle or became a junkie.

In fact, it would be interesting to see how many of the really great achievers of the last century or two were not psychologically "well adjusted" by today's standards. Remember, 'normal' people are less likely to be the artist of genius, the poet capable of capturing their personal anguish, or driven to create on a daily basis whether it be at a keyboard or chipping rock.

As long as people are functional and not dangerous, why hammer them into some statistical mold?

YMMV.

[freeangel]

“these shrinks are the ones who are nuts”

Nuts? My guess is that they are collecting tidy sums from the pharm people who insist on creating needs for their products.

[PGalt]

GRRRRREAT FReeper comments BUMP-TO-THE-TOP!

[USMCVet]

And yet our psychiatric industry doesn't find it at all abnormal to be homosexual...

Perfectly normal to have men leering at men, hanging out in bathrooms for gosh sakes.

Guess there's no money in finding out how to fix those people, huh?

[visualops]

The “personal utopia” that somehow everyone should feel great all the time is just another facet of the liberal quest for social utopia.

[Pharmboy]

This is the same phenomenon as the supposed “increase” in the incidence of autism. One—greater awareness and two) broadening the definition = greater numbers diagnosed.

[Smokin' Joe]

Yep. Being happy throughout childhood, puberty, and adolescence just isn't ordinary.

There are losses, disappointments, changing friendships as friends change, the onset of dating, hormonal hurricanes, establishment of position (precarious as that can be) in the local 'pecking order', all the angst about trends and being trendy (or not!).

Sheesh! I am a great grandpa watching grandkids go through the same things we did, and their parents did, only the trimmings have changed.

Such development is a learning experience, one which prepares (or should, somewhat) you for the rest of your life.

How in the hell are you going to learn from all the highs and lows if you spend your time filling in the bumps being doped up? What happened to "No pain no gain"?

It is the same objection we have, culturally, to kids drinking or doing illicit drugs.

Now what? Just say no--and don't forget to take your meds?

Phooey!

Kids need real, live friends and social interaction, not just with their age group, but adults as well, in a nutshell, mentoring. They need parents who have more than a superficial relationship with them, and they are missing out on the benefits of an extended family, people who had a vested interest in how their relatives turned out.

Last but not least, by any means, it really did not hurt them to at least make it to church on the high holy days, if not every Sunday, to realize they are not only never alone, but that there are things far bigger than they are, just to put the moment in perspective.

Suicide rates were lower when this week's misery weighed against eternity.

[kjhm]

Isn’t bipolar disorder a genetically inherited disease? More females than males? Or is this a form of environmental bipolar disease? Lifestyle rather genetics?

[Rudder]

Or, as I have contended since 1979, it is a false diagnosis based upon medical economics, wherein lazy and greedy psychiatrists overlook the hard-to-treat-but-accurate diagnoses because bipolar dx can be “handled” by the administration of a simple, little pill?

[4yearlurker]

Kaching!! Follow the money. My sister-in-law has a 21 year old son who is a useless,conniving,crack head. He makes everyone around him miserable. So what does my wife say to me about this guy? He’s Bipolar! I told her alright,he’s a Bipolar useless druggie. I reminded her that this guy made a choice in life. He chose to be a druggie.

[krunkygirl]

interesting-—bump and save

[kjhm]

One of the side effects of these mood altering drugs is weight gain, as much as 50 lbs for some of them. Link to childhood obesity? Another side effect is that while on the drugs you become docile, very easy to handle. Does this disorder show up on brain scans or is it diagnosed by a few question about behavior?