Bipolar And Asperger's Disorders - Understanding The Differences Between The Two

Pediatric Bipolar Disorder and Asperger's Disorder are very similar in the way the two illness are treated because their symptoms are similar too. But what exactly are these two diseases and how are they similar?

Pediatric bipolar disorder, or better known as manic depression, is an illness that can present as a mood swings or mood cycling. Patients who suffer from pediatric type one tend to have episodes of mania with alternating with episodes of depression. Patients with pediatric type two experience the thralls of depression with alternating episodes of mania.

Asperger's disorder is associated with autism and is said to be a placid form of the illness. It's actually a type of pervasive development disorder that causes development issues especially where the areas of communication and social development are concerned.

What are the signs of depression and mania in Bipolar Disorder?
Depression signs include: anger, extreme sadness, sleeping too much and feelings of worthlessness. Mania signs are: rage, extreme happiness, increased energy, hyperactivity, distractibility, sleeping too little and obsessive behaviors.

The disorder is caused by four different factors. They are: neurological, biological, emotional and environmental. Yet not all of these factors can be found in every single case. Since little is recognized about the disorder, advances are still being made in this part.

What are the signs of Asperger's Disorder?

Symptoms of this disease include: social skill problems, repetitive behaviors or odd habits, communication difficulties and limited range of interests.

The causes of Asperger's disorder is not well known but studies have shown that it does run in families...meaning it is hereditary. So this must mean that the disease is biological...so it is either neurologically interrelated or genetic, right? At current time, there are no answers to this question.

What are the similarities between Asperger's Disorder and Bipolar Disorder?

Because of its similarities, Asperger's Disorder and Pediatric Bipolar Disorder are very similar and can cause a misdiagnosis. The symptoms that are similar are: odd habits, compulsive behavior and spells of rage. Both disorders tend to lack the social development skills as well as the educational, behavioral and anger issues.

Bipolar can be in combination with Asperger's Disorder and this is, most often, the case. However, it is not clear if the neurological effects that causes Asperger's disorder are related to the chemical imbalances that are thought to be the cause of pediatric bipolar disorder. As doctors'research continues in the area of neurological, technological and psychiatric issues, some answers should be forthcoming about the disease.

Asperger's Disorder and Bipolar Disorder - Treatments behind both illnesses.

The treatments for both diseases are similar; yet there are no medications for Asperger's Disorder but there are medications to treatment the symptoms of it. Since the symptoms of Asperger's are quite similar to bipolar disorder, medications used for bipolar can be used for Asperger's Disorder.

With both bipolar and Asperger disorders, counseling treatments are used but with the medication. Most of the Asperger's patients don't get medication but counseling is required so patients can learn to cope with their diagnosis.

If you know of a child who may be exhibiting any behaviors mentioned above, they should be seen by a physician as soon as possible to be diagnosed. Once a diagnosis has been made, a plan for treatment can be developed. Any undiagnosed disorders for both can lead to real trouble for friends, family and the suffering child.