Stimulant treatment causes patients to cycle through arousal and dysphoric states on a daily basis
Juvenile bipolar disorder first arose in tandem with stimulant and antidepressant treatment in children, and there are many reports of children experiencing psychosis during stimulant treatment for ADHD. Yet there is an even bigger problem with stimulants. They cause children to cycle through arousal and dysphoric states on a daily basis. When a child takes the drug, dopamine levels in the synapse increase, and this produces an aroused state. The child may show increased energy, an intensified focus, and hyperalertness. The child may become anxious, irritable, aggressive, hostile, and unable to sleep. More extreme arousal symptoms include obsessive-compulsive and hypomanic behaviors. But when the drug exits the brain, dopamine levels in the synapse sharply drop, and this may lead to such dysphoric symptoms as fatigue, lethargy, apathy, social withdrawal, and depression.
Parents regularly talk of this daily “crash.” But—and this is the key—such arousal and dysphoric symptoms are the very symptoms that the National Institute of Mental Health identifies as characteristic of a bipolar child. Symptoms of mania in children, the NIMH says, include increased energy, intensified goal-directed activity, insomnia, irritability, agitation, and destructive out bursts. Symptoms of depression in children include loss of energy, social isolation, a loss of interest in activities (apathy), and a sad mood.
References
- Whitaker, Robert. (2010). Anatomy of an Epidemic Chapter 11 The Epidemic Spreads to Children (Epub p. 323). New York , NY: Crown Publishing.
Metadata
Type:🔴 Tags: Psychiatry / Pharmacology / Biology / Neuroscience / Biochemistry / [Neurochemistry Status:☀️