title: [Bipolar disorders in children and adolescents].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Bipolar disorders often develop in children and adolescents but are seldom diagnosed before adulthood. These illnesses are associated with considerable morbidity and mortality. The aim of this paper is to provide knowledge to facilitate earlier diagnosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Medline search.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Bipolar disorders are characterised by serious fluctuations in energy and mood. The diagnosis of bipolar disorders in children and adolescents is challenging because the clinical presentation is influenced by ongoing neural development, which cause considerable symptom overlap and comorbidity with ADHD, conduct disorders, anxiety and Tourette's syndrome. ADHD symptoms may be a precursor of bipolar disorder among some of the youngest children, and prepubertal depression is often pre-bipolar.
authors.affiliation: Barne- og ungdomspsykiatrisk avdeling, Sørlandet sykehus, 4809 Arendal. anne.udal@sshf.no
authors.forename: Anne Helseth
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Udal
authors.forename: Berit
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Grøholt
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017668:Age of Onset; D001714:Bipolar Disorder / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy; D002648:Child; D015897:Comorbidity; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D042241:Early Diagnosis; D006801:Humans