No sane doctor is going to diagnose a 9 month old baby for bipolar disorder. This is a disorder mostly diagnosed to individuals AFTER puberty has come.
Ask your baby's pediatrician what symptoms to look for and when. You can also ask the doctor about the link between heredity and bipolar, if one exists.

I am going to respectfully disagree with the above post. Bipolar disorder is diagnosed in children. This is usually in school age children but has been diagnosed in preschool age children. I do agree with Marianne's post in that diagnosing a baby is probably not going to happen. Furthermore, treatment includes medications that have not been used in the pediatric population in children that young. There are not any clear cut symptoms in a baby that you can refer to that may indicate bipolar disorder.

As for your baby having bipolar disorder, the chance is there. It is greater if both sides of the family have history of bipolar disorder.

Try to relax. Enjoy your baby. You can not change the genetic code and prevent any disorders. Try not to worry about this too much. Many people that have bipolar disorder have children that never develop the disorder.

I'm no expert on bipolar disorder, that's why my advice was to ask her child's pediatrician.

Remember this- though genetics will make your baby more likely to have bipolar disorder than another baby,

your baby still most likely does not have it, and will not have it.

Bipolar can occur in children, but more often occurs in later adolescence. Don't worry about it unless you start seeing problems, and even if you do notice problems, don't assume right away that they are due to bipolar disorder.

Yes, it is believed that bipolar disorder is hereditary, but there is no need to panic! Just keep a close eye on your child. One thing to bear in mind is that bipolar disorder is often mis-diagnosed as ADHD and ADD in school-age children. I remember, when I was little, that I used to go through whirlwind bouts of hyperactivity that used to puzzle my Mum!

The teenage years are crucial, as this is often the stage where symptoms first appear. I, for example, noticed depression really setting in about age 15 and psychosis a few years after that. Also, if your child endures a particularly traumatic event, watch for symptoms. As your child gets older, be open about what bipolar disorder is all about to foster a safe environment for him to talk about any depression/mania or other things that may crop up.

In the meantime, relax and enjoy your gorgeous new bub!

EDIT: FYI, bipolar disorder is strongly prevalent in my family.

Did anyone happen to catch the segment on CBS of how drug companies are paying doctors to diagnose and treat children for bipolarism? If not....7 years ago there were close to 20,000 kids diagnosed with a mental illness...now that number is well over 800,000. These doctors are getting bombarded by drug reps trying to find new markets to sell their drugs.

Are we willing to sell out our kids for their bottom dollar? Bipolar symptoms tend to develop in later adolescents and most often don't require treatment until in their late 20's. The latest trend of saying our kids need to be treated with heavy psychotics is ludicrous. Not only do the medications have a long lasting effect, but the peer pressure of growing up labeled as mentally ill doesn't add to ones self esteem.

Think long and hard before buying into the drug companies hype.

Ok, well I would like to say that one reason that diagnosis has gone up is because we are more aware of different ways that mental illness presents itself and there is generally a better attempt to catch it early and treat it before it's a major problem. Yes, there could be some over-medication going on... but if your child is having major problems getting through life, are you going to deny them help? Plus, just because your child is diagnosed doesn't mean medication is the only answer, therapy can help as well.

As far as growing up with a label, lots of kids with untreated mental illness end up doing horribly in school, don't have friends, etc. Isn't is better to help them cope with the label and be able to be successful in school and successful with friends? If they're untreated, they could be labeled as dumb or weird or something like that, if they're treated, no one might ever know.

Again, I'm not an advocate for "heavy psychotics" for children. But early detection and treatment, yes, bring it on!!