Depressed children may not appear to be sad.
Instead they may withdraw, not want to play, need
more sleep than usual, display chronic irritability,
or cry for no obvious reason. Children may
also talk of wishing to die and may need to be
hospitalized for harm to themselves or others.
Symptoms of mania may include elation,
grandiose thinking, racing thoughts, pressured
speech, hypersexuality, and decreased need for
sleep. Since hyperactivity can be seen in both
bipolar disorder and ADHD, a growing number of
researchers believe that many children who are
diagnosed with “severe ADHD” may actually have
undiagnosed bipolar disorder.