The Child and Adolescent Bipolar Foundation hosts the helpful article Counseling Children With Bipolar Disorder: A Psychotherapist’s Notes by George Lynn, a pscyhotherapist who counsels children with ADD and bipolar disorders.
Integration of opposing aspects of the self does not result in the “curing” of bipolar disorder. The child may still rage, or obsess, or experience other kinds of distressing affect. But he will be more resourceful in dealing with these issues. The raging child will be able to pull back more quickly from losing it. The child with intrusive morbid thoughts will notice that these phenomena do not last as long and they do not distress him as much. The child with hallucinations will deal with them as one would a seizure; she will stop what she is doing, relax herself, and get in a non-demanding environment long enough to let these disturbing effects pass from consciousness.
Bipolar disorders present differently when early-onset; irritability and anger manifest as symptoms more commonly than euphoric mania.
[Which lends more dimension to one of the theories in the bipolar spectrum disorders discussion, a biaxial model clustering affective symptoms with anger and fear. If you have access, check out two new articles Toward a biaxial model of "bipolar" affective disorder: in the Journal of Affective Disorders.]
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Last reviewed: By John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on 4 Aug 2006
Published on PsychCentral.com. All rights reserved.
Kiume, S. (2006). Counseling Children with Bipolar. Psych Central. Retrieved on February 14, 2012, from http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2006/08/04/counseling-children-with-bipolar/
