Description

This video by TV360 offers you expert advice on bipolar disorder in children and how it can be treated.

Transcript

How Bipolar Children Can Be Treated Vasha: Hi, I’m Vasha, 19 years old and I would like to know how bipolar disorder can be treated in children. John Walkup: Vasha, we don’t have a lot of information about the best approaches to treatment of young children with bipolar disorder. Again, as with ADHD another psychiatric disorder is really important that people get a very good diagnostic evaluation first and then to go from there. A variety of medications are used to treat children with bipolar disorder. These medicines include lithium, Divalproex sodium, some people also use a typical antipsychotic agents in these children. There are current studies on their way to try and demonstrate which of these medicines are more effective. In addition, children with bipolar disorder also need careful care in feeding at home and sometimes need special accommodations and special resources within the school environment. So again, as with many psychiatric disorders in childhood medication plays a role, working with the family plays a role and special education can also play a role for kids who have those kinds of needs.