A child with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) usually shows symptoms of the problem even before he or she enters pre-school. The parent, or another adult who primarily acts as a caregiver, may notice signs of hyperactivity, inattentiveness and impulsiveness in the child during his or her toddler years. Warning signs such as suddenly losing interest in a game or in watching a TV show after just a short time or excessively fidgety or uncontrollable behavior may indicate the onset of the problem.

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Diagnosis Bipolar Disorder: Bipolar disorder is a severe biologic illness characterized by recurrent fluctuations in mood. Typically, patients experience alternating episodes in which mood is abnormally elevated or abnormally depressed-separated by periods in which mood is relatively normal. (Lehne, 2004, p. 321)

The following is a short synopsis according to the DSM-IV-TR, Criteria for Bipolar Disorder includes a distinct period of abnormality and persistently elevated, expansive, or irritable mood for at least:
- 4 days for hypomania
- week for mania

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Whereas I find the various disorders in the DSM IV to be highly subjective, they are mainly a listing of certain behavioral traits manifested by certain individuals. It is my proposition that behind all of these behavioral traits lies traumatic experience, and that based on age of the time of trauma, the nature of the trauma, and environmental factors will have a role in what reaction occurs and what behaviors are displayed.

Trauma appears to be the main causation of the majority of what are termed ‘disorders’ in children and adolescents. Hammersley, et al. (2003) found in his study, “Childhood trauma and hallucinations in bipolar affective disorder” that there was a highly significant association of those experiencing hallucinations and

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This type of ADHD has six or more symptoms listed in the DSM-IV for
Psychiatric disorders in both hyperactivity and inattention. This
is the most severe type of ADHD, and it is the most difficult to treat.
You will need to spend alot of extra time with your child if he/she has
this type of ADHD.

In the category of hyperactivity/impulsivity, an individual must have
six or more of the following symptoms: often fidgets while sitting,
often leaves seat in structure setting, often runs around
inappropriately (restlessness), often has trouble playing quietly,
often talks excessively, often blurts out answers before question
completed, often has difficulty waiting turn and often interrupts or
intrudes on others. Some of these symptoms must have present
before the age of seven, and they

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Several types of depression exist. Depressed (or irritable) mood or a loss of interest in pleasurable activities is characteristic of all types, and all types have to cause impairment in functioning. There are some differences in symptom presentation, however, and depression treatment approaches may vary somewhat. The different types of depression include the following:

Major depressive disorderDysthymic disorderSeasonal affective disorderBipolar depressionDepressive disorder not otherwise specifiedIn major depression, qualifiers can be added to the diagnosis, such as “atypical”, “melancholic”, or “post-partum onset”. Such qualifiers describe a specific pattern of symptom presentation. For example, increased appetite, rejection sensitivity, and a sensation of heaviness of the limbs characterize an atypical major depressive episode.

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