This should not be done until the person's mood is significantly improved. If Catapress is causing drowsiness Tenex, a similar medication can be substituted. If distractibility and inattentiveness have not improved with the use of Catapress or Tenex, a stimulant medicine can be added later. Stronger medications, including Haldol, Orapp or Risperdal, should be prescribed for Tourettes Syndrome only if the Tics are severely interfering in the person's life, and Catapress or Tenex have not helped. Unfortunately, studies show that the average adult goes to different doctors for seven years before the correct diagnosis of bipolar disorder is correctly made by the right doctor.
Children often go for many years until they are properly diagnosed.
Until recently, most people who became psychotic, were diagnosed as having a different illness, schizophrenia but now experts know that psychosis is often present during mood changes of bipolar disorder. Children and teenagers with bipolar disorder often have different, less prolonged and less severe symptoms. The mood and energy changes in children may only last for a few hours at a time, as opposed to for weeks or months in adults. Psychosis occurs less frequently in children than in adults. While it is harder to be sure of the diagnosis in children, it is not usually impossible.