Bipolar II Disorder, Most Recent Episode Depressed
Bipolar II Disorder, Most Recent Episode Depressed
You said that your child was recently sad a lot of the time for at least 2 weeks. You said this is very different
from how your child usually feels. You also said that in the past your child has had times where s/he had a very
high mood. S/he may also have switched quickly from feeling sad to happy within a short time. These changes
in how your child feels have caused some problems for him/her at home or other places. It may be causing
problems in how s/he gets along with you, other adults, or other children. Some children who have the
problems that you reported have Bipolar Disorder.
You said your child has had some of the following problems for 2 weeks or longer:
Sadness, Irritability
Crying
Doesn't want to do things s/he used to enjoy
Eats too much or too little
Has problems falling asleep or waking up too early
Has too little or too much energy
Feels worthless
Has little or no hope
Can't stay on task
Feels bad him/herself
Thinks about death
Thinks about hurting or killing him/herself
In the past your child has had times when s/he has been in a high or irritable mood for at least 4 days. During
these times s/he has some of the following problems:
Big changes in how s/he feels: overly happy or silly; very irritable or angry
Feeling too good about him/herself
Too much energy; can go with little or no sleep for days without feeling tired
Increase in talking. S/he talks too much, too fast, changes topics too quickly, and cannot be interrupted.
Can't stay on task - shifts constantly from one thing to the next
Takes big risks
When your child is in a high mood you may also be concerned. S/he is not, however, having big problems
when s/he feels this way. You should be aware of when your child is in these high moods to be sure they aren't
getting worse.
The types of problems that you reported are not very common in children.
