This booklet is a guide for parents who think their child may
have symptoms of bipolar disorder, or parents whose child has
been diagnosed. All parents can relate to the many changes their
kids go through as they grow up. But sometimes it's hard to tell
if a child is just going through a "phase," or showing signs of
something more serious. In the last decade, the number of
children receiving the diagnosis of bipolar disorder, sometimes,
called manic-depressive illness, has grown substantially.1 But
what does the diagnosis really mean for a child? This booklet
discusses bipolar disorder in children and teens. For
information on bipolar disorder in adults, see the National
Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) booklet Bipolar Disorder in
Adults. What is bipolar disorder? Bipolar disorder, also known
as manic-depressive illness, is a brain disorder that causes
unusual shifts in mood, energy, and activity levels. It can also
make it hard to carry out day-to-day tasks, such as going to
school or hanging out with frien