Mood Disorders in Young Children May Lead to Disruptive Behavior

When people see disruptive behaviors in children, they often leap to the conclusion that ADHD is the culprit. However, ADHD is not the only disorder that can lead to disruptive behaviors; anxiety and mood disorders in young children also manifest very similar symptoms.

For one, a child may suffer from anxiety, causing him to feel tense, worried, or panicky for no real reason. The child may then act out to assuage some of these anxious feelings.

Mood disorders like depression and bipolar disorder can cause irritability, mood swings, and even anger in some children. Manic behavior in a bipolar child can easily be mistaken for ADHD.

Finally, a child may suffer from epilepsy, a seizure disorder that causes powerful jolts of neurological electrical activity. Some types of seizures may seem like symptoms of ADHD.