Diagnosis is made based on a clinical interview by a psychiatrist or other licensed mental health practitioner. There are no blood tests or brain scans to diagnose bipolar disorder. Obtaining information on family history and the use of questionnaires and checklists are helpful in making an accurate diagnosis. Commonly used assessment tools include the K-SADS (Kiddie Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia), the Diagnostic Interview Schedule for<unk>  (DISC), and the Child Mania Rating Scale (CMRS). Signs and symptoms In both the American Psychiatric Association's and the World Health Organization's , the same criteria used to diagnose bipolar disorder in adults are used to make the diagnosis in<unk>  with some adjustments to account for differences in age and developmental stage. For example, the DSM-5 specifies that in<unk> , depressive episodes can manifest as persistently irritable moods. In diagnosing manic episodes, it is important to compare the changes in mood and behavior to the child's normal mood and behaviors at baseline instead of to other<unk>  or adults. For example, grandiosity (i.e., unrealistic overestimation of one's intelligence, talent, or abilities) is normal at varying degrees during childhood and adolescence. Therefore, grandiosity is only considered symptomatic of mania in<unk>  when the beliefs are held despite being presented with concrete evidence otherwise or when they lead to a child attempting activities that are clearly dangerous, and most importantly, when the grandiose beliefs are an obvious change from that particular child's normal self-view in between episodes. Controversy The diagnosis of childhood bipolar disorder is controversial, although it is recognized that bipolar disorder typical symptoms are dysfunctional and have negative consequences for minors suffering them. Main discussion is centered on whether what is called<unk>  refers to the same disorder than when diagnosing adults, and the related question on whether adults' criteria for diagnosis are useful and accurate when applied to<unk> . More specifically, main discussion over diagnosis in<unk>  circles around mania symptomatology and its differences between<unk>  and adults. Diagnostic criteria may not correctly separate<unk>  with bipolar disorder from other problems such as ADHD, and emphasize fast mood cycles.
Bipolar disorder in children
Depression in childhood and adolescence
Childhood schizophrenia
Congenital athymia
Mental disorders diagnosed in childhood
Outline of bipolar disorder
Schizophrenia
Post-adoption depression syndrome