Bipolar Disorder and Treatment for Children and Adolescents
This paper discusses current chemical treatments for bipolar disorder in children. It introduces the general problems of diagnosis in people under 16, namely: rapid cycling of moods, unresponsiveness to lithium, comorbidity with ADHD, and confusion with "normal" childhood mood lability. The specific medications mentioned include lithium, risperidone, valproate and divalproate, and various SSRIs used to treat the hypomanic episodes related to this disease. It reviews several clinical trials in recent medical literature.