Psychology

Bipolar disorder as illustrated by Lombardo (2006) is a medical condition that affects thoughts, feelings, perception, behavior, and physical feelings of an individual. This disorder is also referred to as manic depression or manic-depressive disease. It is characterized by extreme fluctuations in mood, energy and behavior. One of the most probable causes of the disorder is improper functioning of some chemicals in the brain. Manias and depressions are the two poles of bipolar disorder. Some of the symptoms associated with depression include unusual increase in sleep, excessive fatigue, uncontrollable cries, suicidal desires, feeling of hopelessness and inability to make simple decisions. Manias are characterized by feelings of increased energy, increased sexual desires, little sleep, hallucinations and delusions. Symptoms of bipolar disorder may manifest either during infancy, adolescence or adulthood.  In the recent times, doctors have been able to identify and treat bipolar disorder in children as young as six. Children from families that have a history of the disorder have a higher risk of being diagnosed with it.

Effects of bipolar children on society
As stated by the Child Adolescence Bipolar Foundation (2010), the disease is more severe in children than in adults. In children, the disease has a very long road to recovery. Symptoms are also manifested for very long periods in children than they are in adults. It is very difficult to differentiate children with bipolar disorder from those with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Children with these disorders present with hyperactivity, irritability and distractibility. However, children with bipolar disorder may portray some characteristic symptoms which include hysterical laughter for no obvious reason in Schools and other social gatherings such as churches.

A change in moods of children with bipolar disorder does not only affect the child and the immediate family but also the community at large. Children with bipolar disorders are more irritable than adults. They hear and see things that are not real. People, who are not familiar with these children regarding their condition, often think that they are going crazy. Children suffering from this condition often display ostentatious behavior. They believe they can perform superhuman deeds such as flying from windows without getting hurt. These children cannot give an exact sequence of an event as it happened, but jump from one issue to another. Social interactions of these children are greatly affected they tend to stay hooked on the computer playing games. A seriously depressed child becomes incommunicative, socially, withdrawn and unable to carry out general tasks in life. They do not recognize the joy a particular occasion may present (Geller, and DelBello, 2005).

National Institute of Mental Illness (2004), notes that children with mania can display hypersexuality. They tend to act flirtatious way beyond their years. They may go to an extent of touching the private parts of other children, teachers and even other adults. A child with this disorder may use explicit sexual and vulgar language. Children with mania revolve from volatile, silly highs to miserable, dull and suicidal depression cycles during the day. Children, who have bipolar disorder, face a very big challenge in their social life. They are stigmatized not only by their age mates but also adults.

The family and the society at large are charged with the responsibility of taking care of the ill child as they tend to act weirdly. They may threaten to jump from a fast moving vehicle. Based on the fact that they portray extreme hostility, they pose a great threat to other children. They tend to order everyone around especially in a classroom. They may boss adults around. It is very challenging to live with and educate a child who have been diagnosed with bipolar disorder especially those who display symptoms of extreme high or low episodes. The disease is so depressing that some children may decide to commit suicide. Cases of suicide and suicide attempts associated to bipolar disorder are very high among teens as compared to adults.

Young people with bipolar are faced by the challenge of developing alcoholism and other substances abuse as a way of escaping the reality. Out of alcoholism, young people with bipolar disorder may act in a weird way as they cannot control their activities or make concrete decisions.

Bipolar disorders on children place a very heavy burden on families. Families experience distress when a child is undergoing serious mood swings. Members may lay the blame of causing the disease on themselves. They are grieved by the condition of one of their children. They always live in fear that, a bipolar child may either portray reckless behavior or make illogical decisions thus putting his life and that of others in danger. Other children in the family as well as the society fear that they might also acquire the condition. Older children are faced by the challenge of rearing a younger sibling who is ill in combination to managing their lives.

According to Evans and Andrews (2005), families abandon normal chores in order to attend to a child who develops symptoms of the disorder. Bipolar disorder on children leads to a change in family roles. Children are forced to look after a brother or a sister who is ill when the parents are away. A family with a bipolar child is usually faced by financial difficulties as these children require special attention. Friends and social networks shrink drastically when they realize that a family has a child with a bipolar disorder. Extended families also withdraw their relationship as they do not want to be associated with a family whose child has bipolar disorder. Not only are the family members faced by stigmatization from the larger community, but also from their own mind. Each person in a family has to bear the burden of seeing one of their own living with a condition no one can explain. They are forced either to come to terms with the situation or live in escapism.

The family of a sick child is faced with the responsibility of ensuring that the child takes hisher medication at the right time. Schools do not allow children to take medicines on their own. This further increases the burden of the caretaker as heshe has to go to school at the appropriate time to give the child medications. A caretaker may otherwise explain the condition of the child to the school nurse who in turn will take the responsibility of making sure the child takes hisher medication. Teachers are also faced with the challenge of making sure they understand the difficult times of the child. This will help in ensuring they do not give too much work to the child during these times. The functioning of a child in general life fluctuates drastically. School attendance, concentration and performance of a child are adversely affected (Bardick, and Bernes, 2005). The symptoms of the disorder are aggravated by the change of social network for the child. Change of school is one good social network change that affects the child negatively. Children, teachers, and other staff are required to understand the special requirement of a bipolar child. A family may be forced to take their child to an institution where heshe will be provided with all the special amenities required thereby draining its finances.

Lombardo (2006), states that bipolar children may chase away a person they are not comfortable with from their vicinity. As a result, the family and the society is faced with the burden of having to compensate for the loss of social contribution such a child would have brought in normal circumstances. The family and the society also have to put extra efforts in the care for such a child as heshe requires close supervision and encouragement.  In extreme cases, a child with the situation may demand for the hospitalization of a bipolar child. Teens may not consent top hospitalization putting a lot of pressure on the parents.

Conclusion
Bipolar disorder, a condition affecting both adults and children is a serious medical condition. It has symptoms that range from manias, hypomania to depression. These symptoms may develop and manifest during childhood, adolescence or adulthood. Symptoms of the disorder are severe in children as compared to adults. Children may portray symptoms such as hypersexuality, irritability and depression. Children with bipolar disorder are faced by very many social challenges. Stigmatization is one of them. A stigmatized child may find alternative social networks by staying hooked to computer games. It appears like a burden for a family to have a child with bipolar disorder. The family has to take care of the ill child as well as adapt to the stigmatization from the larger community. However, families and the society at large must learn how to deal with the disruptive symptoms, support the child to recovery, and devise ways of coping with the effects of the disorder. A sick child should be shown love in order to eliminate thoughts of suicide.