It is such a shame to hear of a child that young suffering from this disorder. Bad enough we that have it as teens and older years. Mood swings are the most common with this. Trying to live out of reality is another.
It is very hard to determine what meds will work for her. Lets pray these will. And if in fact they do help, you should see a major chance in her in a few weeks. Her mood swings will decrease and her crying will also decrease. Now, I am not saying she is not going to have her bad days that we call "cycles". But, they may not last very long. It depends. You should find her a happier child and a more social child. Her attention span at school should also improve.
I just need to tell you that Bipolar meds are not the same for everyone. Sometimes it takes more then one try to find the right one that works. The one that I am on, I did have a little problem with. But, then decided that the effects were not from the drug at all. Side effects with BP meds should be watched for. Any skin changes etc. Although in most cases very rare.
I hope that this is the med for her and she will live a happier and more productive life. There are many of us here (as you can read) that deal with it every day of our lives. She will soon have a happy life with friends to share it with.
Keep in touch and let us know how she is doing please.


BTW: How did you find this site?

Best of luck,
Carrie

I am sorry to hear that.

Yes, sometimes it takes a trial and error of meds and as she gets in her teens they may change and as she has kids etc.. A friend of mine has this and was undiagnosed for years. She was raising her daughter now, 8, all on her own with BP. It wasn't until she had her son 2 years ago that she was finally diagnosed when she had what they thought was the baby blues which was way more than that. I was scared for her and the kids. I believe Her daughter who may also have BP, should be seen and mom has finally decided to have her seen by a therapist and pediatrician regarding this. I hope she doesn't but, atleast if she does it'll be caught early and she'll have a better life than her mom did at her age and alot more understanding people in her life.

My nine year old son has bipolar disorder. Medications help with the symptoms of the disorder. Raging, irritability, agitation, depression, silly and giddy behavior, and other behaviors can be helped with medications.

Frequently medication for ADHD will exacerbate symptoms of bipolar disorder as you have observed in your niece.

Medications take time to work. Many medications take 4-6 weeks to reach therapeutic levels. It is not uncommon to have more than one medication prescribed.

A book that is really helpful on all levels for parents (aunts too!) to read is The Bipolar Child by Demitri Papolos. There is vital information about pediatric bipolar disorder in the book. It is considered by many parents, me included, to be the bible of pediatric bipolar disorder.

Please feel free to private message me if you want more information or support. I will try to answer questions and lend a hand. All the best to you and your niece.

Thank you all for your advise and support. I will go purchase the book that anitgone mentioned. I don't live in the same state as my niece, so it is hard for me to see how well she is doing on her meds, but we are planning to have her visit us this summer.