What is the youngest age a child can be tested for manic/depressive?

I am not sure what the earliest age is but my son was diagnosed a little while after his 7 birthday. But first he was diagnosed with ADHD, depression, and psychotic disorder (nos.) They say that the symptoms of Early Onset Bipolar Disorder can be seen as early as infancy and it is genetic.

An excellent book about Early Onset Bipolar disorder is The Bipolar Child by Demitri and Janice Papolos. Remember that Early Onset Bipolar is very different than adult bipolar. This is why it was overlooked and misdiagnosed for so long.

Keeping a journal of behaviors is an excellent idea! I do this for my child now and wish I had started a long time ago. If it is your child you are concerned about talk to your ped about it. And remember Early Onset Bipolar is often misdiagnosed as ADHD first. So if you are not comfortable with the diagnosis or question it seek a second opinion.

No one took me seriously until my son started verbalizing having hallucinations and was obviously delusional. Things were harder for him than they needed to be. If this is your child that you are concerned about listen to your instincts, do your research, and seek help!

There isn't one set age. They used to think children couldn't have mood disorders, but now research has shown that to be completely false. Another good book on the subject - If Your Child is Bipolar: The Parent -to-Parent Guide to Living with and Loving a Biopolar Child by Cindy Singer, Sheryl Gurrentz.

Signs of depression in children are often mistaken for other disorders like ADD or ADHD so it is advisable to wait until they are older to test them. By puberty (age 10-13) a skilled professional should be able to correctly diagnose the problem. Hope that helps. =)

Hello,

To anwser your question,as far as I know it is very Rare to get a diagnosis before they are at least able to talk but even then it is very rare. The best thing for you to do is keep a daily journal on the child's behavior for at least 6 month's if not longer and then go to a child shrink sorry I forgot how to spell phy?

That is what I did for my child.

I hope I helped you,

Deb

It's not so much a test but a series of interviews and paper/pencil assessments that parents, teachers and other professionals fill out. Look for someone who has had some experience in this area, that a huge label for a kid.

They say in the 20's because any age before that is too soon to tell.

But I say that's a bunch of crock.

Addition,

Well that sucks, my parents took me to get checked out, but they told me it's too earily to tell, and now that I'm older I went back and they said that I am Bi-polar, with manic tendancies, and have most likely had it since childhood,

But DURING childhood, they told me I was normal.