My daughter's father has a LOT of diagnosed mental disorders, bipolar being among them. Truthfully, I'm not even sure what all he has been diagnosed with but I'm sure he's been diagnosed with a severe type of anxiety as well as bi-polar. He's on a lot of medications, Lithium being among them. From what he says, the need for Lithium is something they can actually determine from a blood test (a lack thereof) and that it has a very good chance of being genetic. He's had these problems all of his life and says he was even a "very disturbed child."
Some of his symptoms were showing up as early as he can remember (around 5 years), and since this could very well be genetic I worry about my daughter. I also worry about overmedicating her if I ever bring it to a doctor's attention as she gets a bit over, ya know, in this "prozac nation", and I also worry about it due to the fact that her father has a drug addiction due to abusing his prescribed benzos, and I don't want that to happen to her when she's older.
How soon can she be "tested" for things such as bi-polar disorder? Could the "lithium levels" in her blood actually be determined now? (She is only 4 mos.) Also, what are the chances of the problems being passed on to her?
While mental issues can be hereditary, it's not always the case. A person's upbringing and influences can also determine whether they have struggles with mental health later in life. it;s my understanding that mental disorders based soley on chemical imbalances typically don't become a problem until puberty.
Do you know what your daughter's father's childhood was like? Was he abused? neglected? Anything unusual or damaging?
Finding signs of mental illness can be very hard in a young child because "normal" behavior can vary so much. Some kids are very emotional, some toddlers act violently, some are very shy, and all of this can be on the normal spectrum. Extreme behavior and expression that would be innapropriate for an adult, or even a different toddler can be normal for a specific child.
I wouldn't test your child for anything until you have a concrete reason to beleive there is a problem. As for medication, I think if you only use it if your child cannot function, you will not abuse it.
Good luck and please try to enjoy these baby months. They go by so fast.
i am not 100% sure but i think you can be tested and get treated once your school age. but bettycrocker is right alot of it has to do with the childs expereances and stuff...
my father was diagnosed bi polar and ocd, and non of us seem to display any symptons.. im going to look into the heridity of it all though