Bipolar Disorder Also Lingers In Children, Study Says

New York, NY (AHN) - An 8-year study has shown that bipolar disorder found in adults also affects children. The study also shows that children with bipolar illness causes severe mood swings in almost half of the adults studied.

According to the latest report published in Archives of General Psychology this week, diagnosis of bipolar disorder in children was earlier thought as causes of senior depression.

The research found that around 44 per cent of those who had manic episodes as children continued after they reached 18 years and beyond.

The study also showed that 88 person of the diagnosed children recovered from the illness during the research, while three quarters of the patients relapsed.

The National Institutes of Health-funded study was led by Dr. Barbara Geller of Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, who followed 108 children diagnosed with bipolar disorder around age 11.

Bipolar disorder is also known as manic-depressive illness that causes severe mood swings, making patients irritable or excitable following which they may feel depressed.

"The clinical importance of daily cycling is that a euphoric child can very quickly become seriously depressed and suicidal," the study said.

The report said 24 out of the 54 patients experienced at least one manic episode after they turned 18.

The researchers tracked the children's symptoms, noted differences in diagnosis and daily cycles of mania and depression. They also interviewed the kids and their parents during the research.

Limitations of the research were that subjects were largely of higher socioeconomic status, so generalization to lower socioeconomic status cannot be known.