If agreed upon, these terms would replace bipolar disorder in the new edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual used by physicians to diagnose and treat mental disease.
"Physicians do not know exactly what is wrong with these children or how to treat it," the authors wrote. "Facing up to these limitations could lead to better treatment recommendations and more accurate long-term prognosis."
Even children as young as two and three years old displaying severe mood swings and violent temper tantrums are being diagnosed with bipolar disorder, a disease that physicians formerly believed began in late adolescence.
Health insurance companies can demand certain diagnoses such as bipolar disorder in order to pay for treatment.
Labels: children, dsm-v, bipolar
Posted By: Aspen/CRC