ADHD+and+Bipolar

Popper, Charles. "Diagnosing Bipolar vs. ADHD-Healthy Place ." //Diagnosing Bipolar vs. ADHD//. Bing, 4 Apr. 2004. Web. 9 Nov. 2010. [].

Similarities :

“ Both disorders share many characteristics: impulsivity, inattention, hyperactivity, physical energy, behavioral and emotional lability (behavior and emotions change frequently), frequent coexistence of conduct disorder and oppositional-defiant disorder, and learning problems.”

“Family histories in both conditions often include mood disorder.”

“Psychostimulants or antidepressants can help in both disorders (that is, depending on the phase of the bipolar disorder).”

Differences “ Children who are ADHD often break things carelessly while playing ("non-angry destructiveness"), whereas the major destructiveness of children who are bipolar is not a result of carelessness, but tends to occur in anger. ”   “ Children who are bipolar may exhibit severe temper tantrums, during which they release manic quantities of physical and emotional energy, sometimes with violence and property destruction.” “The duration and intensity of angry outbursts and temper tantrums in the two disorders differs” “Children who are ADHD usually calm down within 20-30 minutes, whereas children who are bipolar may continue to feel and act angry for over 30 minutes and even for 2-4 hours.” “The physical energy that a child with ADHD "puts out" during an outburst of anger could be mimicked by an adult who tries to "enact" the tantrum, whereas the energy generated by angry children who are bipolar could not be imitated by most adults without reaching exhaustion within a few minutes.” “The "trigger" for temper tantrums is also different in these disorders.” “ Children who are ADHD are typically triggered by sensory and affective overstimulation (transitions, insults), whereas children who are bipolar typically react to limit-setting (i.e., a parental "NO") and conflict with authority figures.” “ A child who is bipolar will often actively seek this conflict with authority.” “Children who are ADHD mainly show difficulty going to sleep, whereas children who are bipolar are more apt to have multiple awakenings each night or have fears of going to sleep (both of which may be related to the dream content described above).” “Sleep symptoms in children who are bipolar include severe nightmares (explicit gore, bodily mutilation).”