What illnesses often co-exist with bipolar disorder in children and adolescents?

People with bipolar disorder may develop other mental illnesses as well, including:

Alcoholism. Adults with bipolar disorder are at very high risk of developing a substance abuse problem. Young people with bipolar disorder may have the same risk.
ADHD. Mania and ADHD share some symptoms, such as distractibility, hyperactivity, and the tendency to engage in impulsive and risky behavior. However, mania is episodic, so that the behaviors are uncharacteristic of the child. They start at a time when he or she is experiencing a dramatic change in mood. In contrast, ADHD symptoms are persistent and typical for that child, although they may wax and wane to a certain degree. Many children with bipolar disorder also have a history of ADHD.20
Anxiety Disorders. Anxiety disorders, such as separation anxiety and generalized anxiety disorder, also commonly co-occur with bipolar disorder, in both children and adults.
Other Mental Disorders. Some mental disorders cause symptoms similar to bipolar disorder. One example is major depression, sometimes called unipolar depression. Sometimes, it is extremely difficult to tell the difference between major depression and a depressive episode in bipolar disorder. For this reason, if your child has bipolar disorder and becomes depressed, be sure that the doctor is aware of any past manic symptoms or episodes your child may have had.

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