Bipolar Test for Kids and Teens

Bipolar disorder is a mental health disorder that usually emerges in teenagers and young adults, but it can appear in some children. It can be hard to identify because it involves episodes of both depression and mania, which develop over time. 

If you’re looking for an online bipolar disorder test, you can use our free Symptom Checker to explore whether your child might have bipolar disorder. By answering a few simple questions about your child’s behaviors, you’ll receive a personalized list of behaviors and traits. If they correspond with the symptoms and behaviors associated with bipolar disorder, it will let you know. If your answers to the quiz suggest another disorder, you’ll see that, too.

The Symptom Checker was developed in partnership with expert clinicians and is aligned with the Child Mind Institute’s rigorous editorial standards.

If you think your child may have bipolar disorder or some other mood disorder, it’s important to get a diagnosis from a medical or mental health professional. But if you’re looking for an online bipolar test to get started, our Symptom Checker can help you know if the behaviors you notice in your child could be signs of bipolar disorder, or something else. You’ll also find links to articles where you can learn more about bipolar disorder and help you prepare for a conversation with a professional who can diagnose your child.

Bipolar disorder is a mental health disorder that causes cycles of extreme mood changes.  

Children and teenagers with bipolar disorder have periods of time where they are extremely happy and energetic, called mania, and other periods where they are very depressed. Mania can cause kids to be highly impulsive and make risky decisions and actions. Psychotic episodes, where the child loses touch with reality, can also be part of mania at its most severe. Some kids experience a less intense form of mania called hypomania.

Bipolar disorder usually begins when children are in their mid-to-late teens. 

To identify signs and symptoms of bipolar disorder in children and teens, try using our free Symptom Checker.

Most children and teenagers with bipolar disorder will go through separate periods of time, called episodes, of mania and depression. 

Signs of mania include: 

• Extreme changes in personality  
• Being very excited  
• Being easily annoyed or aggressive (especially in younger children) 
• Having lots of energy 
• Believing they are much smarter or better than others  
• Doing wild or dangerous things 
• Not needing much sleep 
• Talking too much 
• Having many thoughts racing through their head 
• Significant difficulty paying attention 
• In its most extreme form, losing touch with reality, which is called a psychotic episode or break 

Signs of depression include: 

• Being very sad or easily annoyed  
• Losing interest in things that make them happy  
• Gaining or losing a lot of weight 
• Sleeping more or less than usual 
• Feeling consistently sad for at least 2 weeks
• Not being able to sit still 
• Not wanting to move 
• Being extremely tired 
• Thinking they cannot do anything well 
• Feeling very guilty or hopeless
• Not seeing or talking to friends 
• Not thinking clearly 
• In its most extreme form, losing touch with reality, which is called a psychotic episode or break 
• Focusing on death or suicide, or making a suicide attempt

Some experience something called “mixed episodes,” in which they have a depressed mood as well as racing thoughts and speech, agitation, and anxious preoccupations.

The biggest difference between the two main kinds of bipolar disorder, bipolar I and II, is the severity of the manic episodes. Kids with bipolar I experience episodes of mania that can be extreme, including periods of psychosis. They can also have what are called mixed states, a combination of mania and depression at the same time. Instead of mania, kids with bipolar II experience less intense hypomania.  

If a teenager only has depressive episodes, but doesn’t have a manic episode, they will be diagnosed with depression instead of bipolar disorder. 

Schizophrenia is another disorder that often develops during the teenage years and causes psychosis, so it can be confused with bipolar disorder. Schizophrenia causes psychotic episodes, which can include hallucinations and delusions, but not alternating episodes of depression and mania.

If you’re looking to learn more about your child’s symptoms via an online bipolar test, try our Symptom Checker. However, our test cannot diagnose bipolar disorder, it can only help you identify possible signs.

Bipolar disorder is diagnosed by a medical doctor or psychiatrist. To get a diagnosis, the child has to have at least one manic or hypomanic episode.  

Bipolar disorder is usually treated with a combination of medication and therapy. 

Children and teenagers with bipolar disorder are often prescribed a type of medication called a mood stabilizer, which helps reduce episodes of depression and mania.  If the mood stabilizer doesn’t help the child’s depression, they may be prescribed an antidepressant as well.  

Bipolar disorder can be treated with several types of therapy. They include:

• Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT): CBT is the most common type of therapy for bipolar disorder. In CBT, the therapist helps the child understand what triggers their manic and depressive episodes. Kids also learn how their thoughts can cause their feelings, and how to manage them.  
• Family-focused therapy (FFT) for bipolar disorder:  The treatment consists of sessions for the patient and family members to learn about bipolar disorder, communication enhancement training, and problem-solving skills training.

The Symptom Checker is a free to use bipolar test that can help you identify possible signs of bipolar disorder.

People with bipolar disorder have a heightened risk of suicide. If you think your child or teenager is suicidal, you can call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline by dialing 988 or 1-800-273-8255, or 911 if there is an emergency.