Depression Disorder Symptoms. "Signs of Bipolar Disorder May Start in Infancy " ?

Q.When investigators reviewed the medical records of 58 adults with manic-depressive disorder, they found telltale ''clusters'' of symptoms that often began in the first years of life. Since childhood, the patients had suffered bouts of depression, irritability, sleep problems and other symptoms that seemed to foreshadow manic-depressive disorder.

A.Since the study looked back on medical records, it can offer no definitive warning signs for the illness, according to lead author Dr. Janice A. Egeland of the University of Miami School of Medicine in Florida. However, she told Reuters Health, if further research can weed out ``constellations of symptoms'' that signal a high risk of manic-depressive disorder, doctors may be able to intervene early on with treatment. Egeland and her colleagues report their findings in the October issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Also known as bipolar disorder, manic-depressive disorder is marked by cycles of deep depression and excessive euphoria, interspersed with periods of normal behavior. It affects at least 2 million Americans and tends to run in families. Patients in the current study first exhibited symptoms 9 to 12 years before the onset of the disorder. Some showed signs at preschool age. According to one woman's records, she had suffered ``little sad spells'' since she was a baby. Most of the patients had begun cycles of irritability, hypersensitivity and low energy by the age of 10. Because such symptoms can be confused with problems like attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, Egeland noted, it is important to recognize the cyclic nature of manic-depressive disorder. Symptoms come in waves, rather than being part of a child's general nature. ``It's important to find a pattern of symptoms over time and a family history,''

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