All parents can relate to the many changes their kids go through as they grow up. But sometimes it's hard to tell if a child is just going through a "phase," or perhaps showing signs of something more serious. Recently, doctors have been diagnosing more children with bipolar disorder,1 sometimes called manic-depressive illness. But what does this illness really mean for a child? This booklet is a guide for parents who think their child may have symptoms of bipolar disorder, or parents whose child has been diagnosed with the illness.