thelastpsychiatrist.com - Bipolar Rates Are Increasing As Long As You're Willing To Call Everything Bipolar And Defy God's Will. Adnotated.

To compare: for adults the rates were 905/100,000 in 1994, to 1679/100,000 in 2003. In other words, 0.9% up to 1.7%.ⁱ

I've heard this justified as a step forward. While "visits" isn't the same as incidence or prevalence in a population, it makes sense as a proxy. The adult rate is about 1-2%, consistently. Bipolar was severely underdiagnosed in 1994, and it's better diagnosed today. Since bipolar is a biological disorder with a strongly heritable component, it only makes sense that the child rate should be the same as the adult rate, assuming good diagnostic skills. So the diagnosis rate has simply risen to match the adult rate.

The only problem is this: in 2003, 2/3 of the children visiting were males. But 2/3 of the adults were females.ⁱⁱ

So you have some options:

1. The male children have a disorder that is actually different than the adult females have, i.e. one of them is not bipolar.
2. The male children with bipolar got cured during puberty.
3. Bipolar disorder turns boys into women sometime around age 19, obviously using the power of Satan.ⁱⁱⁱ

The ridiculousness of this increase in diagnosis is only exceeded by the potential harm such an increase is actually causing. Forget about the safety or lack of safety of bipolar medications in kids, which is worrisome enough. A problem few seem to want to talk about is the impact of a bipolar diagnosis on a person, for the rest of his life. Let's say, for the sake of argument, pediatric bipolar is overdiagnosed. Then all those people who were misdiagnosed are, in fact, not bipolar; however, they have no way of ever finding that out. They have to carry this with them for the rest of their life. When they're 30 years old, and they're asked on routine checkup if they've ever had a psychiatric diagnosis, they have to say, "well, pediatric bipolar, but I think that's not right." Sure it isn't. When that 30 year old guy has kids, and those kids grow up, they'll be asked, do you have a history of major psychiatric illness in your family? Hmm. "Maybe bipolar... but my Dad told me he thinks that wasn't right." Oh, ok. Did your Dad have a temper? "Well, he did yell a lot when he was mad." I see. Did he go without sleep? "Oh my God, when we were kids -- lots of times."^iv Then it's settled.

If pediatric bipolar is being accurately diagnosed, then either psychiatrists are now more sensitive to its detection -- a unlikely possibility since the diagnosis has been around for a long, long time -- did we suddenly develop a better test for it?^v Or else something has changed in the world to cause it to be more frequent (a toxin in bottled water? MySpace? Iraq?)

Early treatment of bipolar -- let's call it the "real" bipolar -- doesn't slow down the progression of the illness. It helps you today, but it doesn't change symptoms 10 years from now, they way aggressive early treatment of diabetes actually prevents physical pathology from worsening. So it may be worth, oh, I don't know -- conservative management?^vi

1. His numbers are strangely contradicted by NIMH's own data :

   Prevalence of Bipolar Disorder Among Adults. Based on diagnostic interview data from National Comorbidity Survey Replication (NCS-R), Figure 1 shows past year prevalence of bipolar disorder among U.S. adults aged 18 or older. An estimated 2.8% of U.S. adults had bipolar disorder in the past year ; past year prevalence of bipolar disorder among adults was similar for males (2.9%) and females (2.8%). An estimated 4.4% of U.S. adults experience bipolar disorder at some time in their lives.

   So, apparently, not only did bipolar prevalence double from 1994 to 2003, but the actual prevalence in 2003 doubled from 2003 to 2019. Do not be alarmed by this alleged impossibility : if you believed the former, you really should have no problem believing the latter as well. They're both made of the exact same substance after all ; as long as you eat shit what difference could the kind possibly make. [↩]

2. This isn't coincidental, either : the sort of spurious humankind only here looking for a cage will bring the boys in as proxies if any suitable boys are available ; but otherwise come in themselves. Dumb cunts got complaints, see ? And you're "not allowed" to apply the correct tools towards solving those complaints. [↩]
3. As a factual matter, the Great Inca does in fact turn boys into women sometime around age 19 ; and it is entirely possible this is what the arabs mean when they use the term "Satan" in relation to same. So... sure, right on. [↩]
4. The point he's making, which may be lost on people who don't have kids, which is "just about everyone" as Great Inca progresses marches ever triumphant towards its brown dwarf collapse, is that parents don't get any sleep. Or anything else. [↩]
5. You should see that sorry thing. Permit me to quote :

   The Child Bipolar Questionnaire (CBQ) is a reliable and sensitive diagnostic indicator for early onset bipolar disorder. It is simple to use and may be self-administered by the child’s primary caretaker or administered by a clinician.

   Horrified yet ? Then we can proceed.

   My child has and/or had the following symptoms and/or behaviors : displays excessive distress when separated from family ; exhibits excessive anxiety or worry ; has difficulty arising in the AM ; is hyperactive and easily excited in the PM ; has difficulty settling at night ; has difficulty getting to sleep ; sleeps fitfully and/or awakens in the middle of the night ; has night terrors and/or nightmares ; wets bed ; craves sweet-tasting foods ; is easily distracted by extraneous stimuli ; is easily distracted during repetitive chores & lessons ; demonstrates inability to concentrate at school ; attempts to avoid homework assignments ; able to focus intently on subjects of interest and yet at times is easily distractible ; has poor handwriting ; has difficulty organizing tasks ; has dfficulty making transitions ; has difficulty estimating time ; has auditory processing or short-term memory deficit ; is extremely sensitive to textures of clothes, labels, and tightness of fit of socks or shoes ; exhibits extreme sensitivity to sound and noise ; complains of body temperature extremes or feeling hot despite neutral ambient temperature ; is easily excitable ; has periods of high, frenetic energy and motor activation ; has many ideas at once ; interrupts or intrudes on others ; has periods of excessive and rapid speech ; has exaggerated ideas about self or abilities ; tells tall tales; embellishes or exaggerates ; displays abrupt, rapid mood swings ; has irritable mood states ; has elated or silly, goofy, giddy mood states ; displays precocious sexual curiousty ; exhibits inappropriate sexual behaviors, e.g. openly touches self or others’ private parts ; takes excessive risks ; complains of being bored ; has periods of low energy and/or withdraws or isolates self ; has decreased initiative ; experiences periods of self doubt and poor self-esteem ; feels easily criticized and/or rejected ; feels easily humiliated or shamed ; fidgets with hands or feet ; is intolerant of delays ; relentlessly pursues own needs and is demanding of others ; is willful and refuses to be subordinated by others ; argues with adults ; is bossy towards others ; defies or refuses to comply with rules ; blames others for his/her mistakes ; is easily angered in response to limit setting ; lies to avoid consequences of his/her actions ; has protracted, explosive temper tantrums ; has difficulty maintaining friendships ; displays aggressive behavior towards others ; has destroyed property intentionally ; curses viciously, uses foul language in anger ; makes moderate threats to others or self ; makes clear threats of violence to others or self ; has made clear threats of suicide ; is fascinated with gore, blood, or violent imagery ; has acknowledged experiencing auditory and/or visual hallucinations ; hoards or avidly seeks to collect objects or food ; has concern with dirt, germs, or contamination ; is very intuitive and/or very creative.

   That's it. That's fucking it, the pompously styled "version 2.0" of the even more pompously styled "The Child Bipolar Questionnaire" as penned by a certain insistently pompous Demitri F. Papolos back in 2002 for the unrelentingly pompously self-styled "Juvenile Bipolar Research Foundation". That's the fuck it, with a "frequency" field dangling from the tail, unconnected to anything, there merely to distract everyone from the idiocy by that transparently idiotic "science" amulet. Was it "somewhat often" or "rather often" ? Well which is it, Mrs. Headupasserson, gotta get those numbers right so these hired extras in rented white coats do the science dance on them! And meanwhile, is your kid overtly sexual ? Maybe he has trouble asserting himself ? Or is bossy ? Pick and choose!

   Now go re-read footnote two again, just in case you took it too lightly the first time.

   And do the exercises, too. What is supposed to be the difference between "antisocial personality disorder" and "heresy" ? Why are you pestering Gacy instead of Roy ? [↩]

6. Here's an idea for alternative therapy : forced labour camp, six months, for any woman whose child is brought in for "bipolar". Let her pick apples while eating bush a summer, or whatever it is they do over in West Texas. What do I get if this "cures" "it" ? [↩]