Bipolar Disorder is growing in numbers of American Children, or is it? Bipolar Disorder is characterized by extreme mood swings, and until recently was mainly diagnosed in adulthood. A article in the New York Times entitled, “Bipolar Soars As Diagnosis For the Young,” by Benedict Carey discusses the disease and controversial method that is being used for diagnosis. Carey says, “Many experts theorize that the jump reflects that doctors are more aggressively applying the diagnosis to children and not that the incidence of the disorder has increased.” The article goes on further to say that almost any aggressive child is being diagnosed with the disorder. I personally feel that every child is explosive and aggressive, they are all little balls of energy waiting to explode. An energetic child seems to be normal, with all the candy and snacks that kids eat they are bound to have a lot of energy. Children now-a-days are also extremely spoiled, and when they don’t get their way they throw fits and tantrums. These acts by young adolescents are as normal as it comes, just the other weekend I witnessed these acts amongst children at my god daughters birthday party. Every Child that was in attendance at this party would have been diagnosed with the disorder according to these experts. Which would be a possible uncertainty, because even with the rising number of diagnosed children it is still only 1 out of 100 children who have it. I feel Bipolar Disorder should be diagnosed in adults, because a child is not a stable enough being to be able to positively determine if they have the disorder.
