Bipolar disorder in childhood and adolescence is a very serious issue that severely affects the lives of children and teenagers with this disorder. The main characteristic of the disorder is the manic phase in which there are mood swings, with signs of nervousness and irritability. This sudden mood can escalate to long episodes of aggression and rage, known as temper tantrum. Many times there are swings that lead to periods of depression and in these cases children present the classical childhood depression symptoms.

The prevalence rate for bipolar disorder is around 1% among children and adolescents and it is estimated that there is an even distribution among boys and girls.

Mania symptoms are associated with irritability, outbursts, impulsiveness, difficulty in relationships, and fights with friends and family. This aggressiveness worsens the symptoms of oppositional defiant disorders which are common among children and adolescents.

At school, children tend to have poor grades, difficulty in concentrating, hyperactivity, aggressiveness, emotional instability, inflated self-esteem, increased sexual drive, and more conversations and jokes with sexual content. Some patients say they cannot accomplish anything due to thoughts that run through their minds. It is also common to have conflicting ideas, insomnia, and excessive involvement in pleasant activities with high potential of negative consequences, inappropriate affection, excitability, accelerated speech, and agitation. Magical thoughts of grandeur, wealth and power may be seen. Teenagers tend to overdo their makeup and their clothing is excessively colorful and extravagant.

There is no specific cause for the outbreak of bipolar disorder. Nevertheless, the main hypotheses are associated to genetic factors regarding chemical changes in these children’s brains, such as the increase of substances like noradrenalin and dopamine. Thus, children who have parents with this disorder are more likely to develop the disorder in comparison to children who do not have bipolar mood disorder records in their families.