For many young people signs of bipolar disorder may be first noticeable in their teens or early twenties. Occasionally some will have noticed some symptoms as children. In fact, some people have suggested that the t?emperamental features and behaviours of bipolar disorder can begin to emerge very early on, even in infancy (Papolos and Papolos 2000). There is, however, controversy over whether or not bipolar disorder can be reliably diagnosed in children. A number of resources have been developed for parents who are raising ‘a moody child’ (Fristad and Arnold 2003). Adolescents may also find first person accounts of other adolescents’ experiences and viewpoints helpful. Everyone Lizzie Simon interviewed for her book ‘Detour: My Bipolar Road Trip in 4-D’ was diagnosed with bipolar disorder when aged between 16 and 35 years.

‘…we do not share the same illness, for we each experience it differently. But we do share the same diagnosis. And we share the same nagging inner voice that wonders: how much of me is me, and how much of me is this illness…?’ (Simon 2002)