The article is mainly about how more and more children are being diagnosed being bipolar and how this is being handled within societal and professional circles. Some say that the environment and our ways are life are causing more and more people to suffer from the disorder, but then some are saying that we simply have more tools to properly diagnose individuals than say 10 years ago. I don't know what to think about those statements. I have to agree that our society and environment is simply NOT the same as it was when my mother was a child or even when I was a child. So I can definitelyly see our society and environment as being somewhat responsible for all of this. However, it is also true that every day we are closer to understanding disorders such as bipolar... making diagnoses much easier and clear cut than ever before. Regardless, we are seeing a rise in bipolar... especially in children.
When I was diagnosed 12 years ago... I was 15/16 and later I was told by a psychiatrist that I was seeing... that I was considerably young when I was diagnosed and that in fact I was misdiagnosed. He said that I sounded simply like a rebellious teenager at the time and everyone around me overreacted. I was thrilled to hear this since I really didn't want the "stigma" of being mentally ill as well as having to take the medications. I hated the blood levels, the doctors visits, etc. This shrink gave me the ticket I was looking for... that was roughly about 8 years ago. It took me roughly 12 agonizing years to get properly diagnosed and finally put back on Lithium. I hate looking back on those years... seeing how much I missed. Now I read in this article that children as young as 3 are being labeled as bipolar and being treated. It's a complete shock to me. However, I need to face reality and look at the big picture since one of my children is showing symptoms already at the age of 8.
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