I think my 5 year old is Bipolar too, she is biting herserlf

[KristenBP]

I am bipolar and my 5 year old daughter show signs of the disorder. my main concern is her biting herself in school, she seems to do this when she feels she had done something wrong. the other day at nap time the classroom was quiet and she pushed the button on her stuffed bunny and immediatley hid under the blanket and bit her arm. she does this ever few weeks, before that she thought she accidentaly hurt the boy next to her with her sissors, but he was fine, she went under the table saying she is a bad girl and bit herself. in the past she has said she wants to die when she thinks she is bad. I have never once told her she is a bad girl. where does this come from. she also told my mother that at night she sometime hits her head to get her brain to turn off. The school suspects some type of abuse, I was speechless. I do everything i can to make sure she feels good about herself. I have been there and school was very hard for me, i want to get her diagnosed, but everyone i talk to says she is too young to tell. I want to get her help while she is young not a pre-teen that cuts herself and uses drugs and alcohol to cope like i did. Any proffesional advice on what i can do to help her?

[bbkkb143]

I strongly urge you to trust your own wisdom and instincts, and do everything possible to get help for your daughter.  I have known there "was something wrong with me" since I was 8, but didn't get a diagnosis, or much help, until last year (I was 33).  It was a lot of years suffering alone and confused, trying to figure out for myself why I was so much different than everyone else I knew.  If your daughter's pediatrician can't point you in the right direction, contact your local social service office and ask about mental health services in your area.  There has got to be a psychiatrist practicing nearby that has experience working with children that can help.  Continue seeking help until you get it for your daughter; she (every child) deserves nothing less.  Good luck!

[hell1971]

This makes me so mad, if a child has problems it does not always mean they have been abused, I sent myself mad trying to find out what was wrong with my now 9 year old who has been diagnosed Bipolar, she started saying she wanted to die at the age of 5, had major meltdowns, self harmed from an early age, she has been in therapy on and off since she was 4 but has seen doctors all her life, she is a sweet intellegent child who has a major mood disorder, she cannot help her behaviour anymore than I can stop the behaviour, I have been to hell and back to get her the treatment she so obviously needed, now hopefully she is being treated for the correct illness and will grow up with the skills to manage her emotions and her illness. My thoughts are with you, unfortunatley sometimes it takes time to get the right help but do not stop trying, but look after yourself because she needs you to be strong, dont drive yourself into the ground like I did. Hugsxx

[ILADVOCATE]

If you would want specific professional advice there are the ask a doctor foums. We can only give our opinions. However, I strongly agree with what the school says. That doesn't mean they were stating that you were the cause. Think about who else visits or is in regular contact with her and trust your instincts. That is an extremely young age for a person to acquire bipolar and bipolar disorder is a very specific set of criteria. If a child has some of maladptive behavior from psychological reasons medication won't be able to help nor will it stop it from worsening as they become older. Bring her to a child psychologist and ask her what their advice is. There are other forums as well as regards parenting and other issues. Don't assume anyone believes that you are the cause but do find out what is going on.