A large meta-analysis calculated the age of onset of various psychiatric disorders from a synthesis of various datasets, to provide robust, global epidemiological estimates.1
In people with bipolar disorder (BD), the peak age of onset was 19.5 years old.1 Children and adolescents with BD can experience extreme changes in mood and behaviour, including irritability, beyond what would be expected at that age and development
(i.e., more than childish silliness).2,3
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