Did You Know?

Some facts about early-onset Bipolar Disorder and Bipolar Disorder in general:

Fact #1: According to the National Institute of Mental Health, early-onset Bipolar Disorder affects potentially up to one million teenagers from the ages of 14 to 18.

Fact #2: There is no known cure for early-onset Bipolar Disorder which can begin to show symptoms in children as young as five.

Fact #3: There is currently no empirical test, no biomarker test, no blood test, no MRI and no genetic test yet developed to scientifically show that someone has Bipolar Disorder.

Fact #4:  Without an empirical test, a diagnosis that a child or adolescent has Bipolar Disorder can take up to ten years to achieve.

Fact #5: The medications currently prescribed for children and adolescents with Bipolar Disorder can have powerful side-effects.

Fact #6:  Bipolar Disorder in children and adolescents may be different from the adult form of this illness. Children and adolescents are more likely to be irritable and prone to destructive outbursts than to be elated or euphoric.

Fact #7:  Bipolar Disorder used to be called manic depression.

Fact #8:  It is not uncommon for children and adolescents with Bipolar Disorder to self-medicate and develop issues with chemical and substance abuse.

Fact #9:  Biplolar Disorder can significantly impair a child or adolescent's ability to function in school, with peers and at home.

Fact #10: Many brilliant and famous people in history had Bipolar Disorder, including Abraham Lincoln (President), Ludwig van Beethoven (Composer), Virginia Woolf (Author), Vincent van Gogh (Painter), Charles Dickens (Author), Winston Churchill (Prime Minister), Sir Isaac Newton (Scientist), Edgar Allan Poe (Author), Florence Nightingale (Nurse) and Napoleon Bonaparte (French Emperor) to name just a few.