ABSTRACT
Bipolar disorder has been typically described as beginning in late adolescence or early adulthood. However, family reports, clinical experience and research findings suggest prepubertal and early adolescent onset of depressive and/or manic symptoms in a significant proportion of subjects with bipolar disorder. There are few reliable statistics on the incidence of pediatric bipolar disorder, but recent studies suggest a rapid increase in the diagnosis of childhood bipolar disorder in clinics (Moreno et al., 2007). Whether a diagnosis of childhood bipolar disorder can be validly and reliably made or not remains a highly controversial area with significant debate in the academic and lay press. Central to this controversy lies whether or not the episodic or chronic presentation of irritability, mood lability, aggression and reduced sleep in children, who are often diagnosed with bipolar disorder, truly represents a childhood-onset of bipolar disorder as described in adults.
