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. The diagnosis often does not become certain until the patient is treated and responds in certain characteristic ways to different medications. By studying the child's change in symptoms over time while on different medication, an expert can usually determine whether the child does or does not have bipolar disorder. Until one year ago, most adults who were diagnosed properly as having bipolar disorder, were treated with Lithium. In 1995, Depakote was approved also for treatment of bipolar disorder.