Short Bits for Inquisitive PMHNP's

Short Bits for Inquisitive PMHNP's

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Short Bits for Inquisitive PMHNP's
Short Bits for Inquisitive PMHNP's
Pediatric Bipolar d/o or what...?

Pediatric Bipolar d/o or what...?

How to distinguish pediatric bipolar d/o from various other d/o's

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PMHNP Helper
Jan 26, 2023
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Short Bits for Inquisitive PMHNP's
Short Bits for Inquisitive PMHNP's
Pediatric Bipolar d/o or what...?
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The content provided in this Substack post is for entertainment and informational purposes only and is not intended to serve as medical advice. The views and opinions expressed herein are those of the writer and should not be taken as definitive or authoritative. Readers should not rely solely on the information provided in this post to make decisions about patient care. Instead, use this content as a starting point for further research and consult a qualified healthcare professional before making any changes to treatment or medication regimens.


Picture this….: A new adolescent male presents to your office. He is 14 years old. The accompanying parent states, “I swear he is bipolar!” Throughout the assessment it is determined that the patient has difficulty with authority figures, particularly his mom & female teachers. He is somewhat irritable and can lose his temper easily. He breaks rules frequently, but does not engage in violent or destructive behavior. You find that the behaviors aren’t really episodic in nature, but rather appear when the patient is asked or expected to do things that he does not want to do.

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Does this patient’s symptoms line up with Bipolar d/o..? Possibly, let’s consider a few other factors… With further digging, it is determined that the patient sleeps well at night & has never gone periods of time with less sleep without feeling fatigued. He has also never engaged in sexually inappropriate behavior. Ok… So although the patient may have some behaviors which could be shared by an adolescent with bipolar d/o. This patient’s presentation is more congruent with a diagnoses of Oppositional defiant d/o.

Why ODD & not CD? Because although the patient does engage in rule breaking and

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