Been there Done that
Member
Can children have BPD? I helped raise c child who was bulimic and had severe emotional problems.She was very contorolling and manipulative.
- Thread starter Been there Done that
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David Baxter PhD
Late Founder
This question does not have a precise or categorical answer; it's one of those "it depends" issues.
Generally. a diagnosis of personality disorder would not be given for an individual under the age of 18 (or close to that age).
This reflects the reality that in younger children and adolescents the personality is still evolving and therefore is not yet sufficiently "fixed" to meet the criteria for "enduring personality traits or characteristics".
Children can often be manipulative (or try to be) and egocentric. In p[art, that is the nature of childhood. The parts of the brain that are involved in behavioral inhibition, impulse control, planning, perspective taking, and empathy reside ion the frontal lobes, the part of the brain that is the last to emerge in evolution and the most underdeveloped at birth. This part of the brain continues to develop through adolescence and early adulthood, and mat not reach maturity until the mid- to late-20s.
On the other hand, when someone is later diagnosed with a personality disorder (or indeed any other mental illness), it is often possible to look back and see earlier signs of that diagnosis developing.
Generally. a diagnosis of personality disorder would not be given for an individual under the age of 18 (or close to that age).
This reflects the reality that in younger children and adolescents the personality is still evolving and therefore is not yet sufficiently "fixed" to meet the criteria for "enduring personality traits or characteristics".
Children can often be manipulative (or try to be) and egocentric. In p[art, that is the nature of childhood. The parts of the brain that are involved in behavioral inhibition, impulse control, planning, perspective taking, and empathy reside ion the frontal lobes, the part of the brain that is the last to emerge in evolution and the most underdeveloped at birth. This part of the brain continues to develop through adolescence and early adulthood, and mat not reach maturity until the mid- to late-20s.
On the other hand, when someone is later diagnosed with a personality disorder (or indeed any other mental illness), it is often possible to look back and see earlier signs of that diagnosis developing.
If this is the case that children are not diagnosed before 18 years old, then can I please ask why they give a child the meds for bipolar and it calms the child? Wouldn't that indicate that the possibility of bipolar is very strong in the child if helped by the meds? Why give the meds for bipolar if they cannot be diagnosed before 18 years old?
David Baxter PhD
Late Founder
I did not say that children can not be diagnosed.
What I said is that generally children under the age of 18 are not diagnosed with a personality disorder:
A child or younger teenager may be diagnosed with a Conduct Disorder as an alternative to a personality disorder.
Also, the original post was asking about Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) rather than Bipolar Disorder (BD).
Bipolar Disorder is an Axis I diagnoses reflecting a mental illness, like depression, an anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, schizophrenia, ADHD, Tourette Syndrome, etc., etc. These are not personality disorders (whioch are Axis II diagnoses) and are not subject to the restrictions I mention above.
What I said is that generally children under the age of 18 are not diagnosed with a personality disorder:
A child or younger teenager may be diagnosed with a Conduct Disorder as an alternative to a personality disorder.
Also, the original post was asking about Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) rather than Bipolar Disorder (BD).
Bipolar Disorder is an Axis I diagnoses reflecting a mental illness, like depression, an anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, schizophrenia, ADHD, Tourette Syndrome, etc., etc. These are not personality disorders (whioch are Axis II diagnoses) and are not subject to the restrictions I mention above.
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