Bipolar disorder is a mental health condition apparent in both adults and children. You may have noticed some unusual emotional states and behaviors in your kid and asked yourself, “Is my child bipolar?”. A person with this condition experiences extreme mood swings - they may go from the lows of depression to the highs of euphoria or hyperactivity. While emotional upheaval is a normal part of childhood and the teen years, your kid may need additional treatment if symptoms are severe and ongoing. To see if your child may display the common signs of bipolar disorder, take the quiz below.
1. Do you notice extreme mood swings in your child?
A. Yes, they may get hyperactive or euphoric for some time, then appear very sad, tired, or irritable.
B. Yes, they may sometimes get unusually excited for a while, then become more closed off than usual.
C. They may get very happy or sad occasionally, but nothing extreme, and there is always a reason for their mood.
2. How long do these episodes of very high or very low mood last?
A. From several days to a few weeks
B. A day or two
C. They disappear after a couple of hours
3. Do these patterns continue to appear with time?
A. Yes, they always come back after time passes.
B. No, they happen very rarely.
C. No, I do not observe such patterns in my child.
4. Do these extreme mood patterns disrupt the day-to-day functioning of your child?
A. Yes, it is very hard for them to focus and participate in some home or school activities.
B. They may become more distracted or disengaged but still do their home and school duties without a problem.
C. No, they do not have any difficulties in any of the everyday activities.
5. Do you notice drastic changes in your child’s eating habits?
A. Yes, they may have periods of uncontrollable hunger, then may barely eat.
B. They may overeat or have a lack of appetite from time to time, but nothing extreme.
C. They rarely display such changes, and they do not last for more than a day or two.
6. What about changes in your child’s sleep?
A. They sometimes may have difficulty or inability to fall asleep while not feeling tired, then sleep too much or too little.
B. They sometimes may appear more aroused or very tired before going to sleep, yet they seem to get enough sleep.
C. They usually fall asleep easily and have a normal amount of rest in the night.
7. Do you notice extreme shifts in your child’s energy and activity levels?
A. Yes, they may jabber, jump to different topics, appear overly agitated, then become tired, relatively slow, and have no interest in things they usually enjoy.
B. They may appear more energized and then have a drop in their behavior, yet the changes are not that drastic.
C. No, they have the normal ups and downs of energy throughout the day and considering their schedule.
8. Does your child have periods of acting in an overly impulsive, dangerous way and making risky decisions?
A. Yes, it is like they cannot think clearly for a certain amount of time.
B. Sometimes, but they do not engage in anything too dangerous.
C. No, they do it very rarely and always have the possible consequences in mind.
9. Does your child often think or talk about suicide or engage in self-harm?
A. Yes, they have mentioned suicide and may have hurt themselves on purpose.
B. They have mentioned death in some conversations but have not shown signs of hurting themselves.
C. No, they have not shown any signs of interest in such topics or behaviors.
10. Which of the described is closest to your child’s shift in emotional states?
A. They may get more excited or sad from time to time, but it does not last long and does not go to extremes.
B. They oscillate between extreme happiness and enthusiasm and feelings of hopelessness, emptiness, sadness, or irritability.
C. They may feel more joyous for a certain amount of time, then seem pensive and down.
