Just for a moment, imagine that you are a child who is unable to have a stable youth due to recurrent episodes of major depression with manic symptoms, interspersed with phases of normal behavior and hypomanic periods. Bipolar disorder – also called manic-depressive disorder – is a disorder that involves severe mood swings; fluctuating from the most horrific depressions to the most euphoric and energetic phases (Birmaher, 2013). The DSM-IV TR describes bipolar I disorder as an illness during which a patient experiences mood changes that last for weeks to months. This means that the patient goes through periods of depression, followed by a normal state for a short period of time before the onset of a manic episode. As stated by the DSM-IV TR, bipolar I disorder is characterized by the presence of at least one manic episode, one mixed episode and a period of major depression. There are also various subtypes of bipolar I disorder, such as bipolar II disorder – which is characterized by the occurrence of at least one depressive and one manic episode that occur in a form that is noticeable to others but causes less harm, and cyclothymic disorder – which involves fluctuating mood disorders, including less severe periods of depression and mania that last for short periods over a period of at least two years (American Psychiatric Association, 2000). According to many studies, the number of children and adolescents diagnosed with bipolar disorder has increased rapidly in recent years. According to the DSM-IV TR, the prevalence of the disorder among children and adolescents is around 1%. However, a team of academics described that there is a forty-fold increase in the number of children or adolescents being diagnosed... half of the article ......act-sheet/index.shtmlParens, E., & Johnston, J. (2010). Controversies regarding the diagnosis and treatment of bipolar disorder in children. Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health, 4(9).Bretka, B.S. (2013). A guide to DSM-5: Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD). Psychiatry Medscape. Retrieved from: http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/803884_6Dusetzina, S.B., Farley, J.F., Weinberger, M., Gaynes, B.N., Sleath, B., & Hansen, R.A. (2012). Treatment utilization and costs among privately insured youth diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Psychiatric Services, 63(10), 1019-1025.Stokowski, L.A. (2009). Bipolar disorder and ADHD in children: confusion and comorbidity. Retrieved from http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/711223_4Patel, N. C., & Sallee, F. R. (2005). What is the best treatment for comorbid ADHD/bipolar mania?. Curr Psychiatry, 4, 27-37.