09:21 AM Mountain Standard Time on Wednesday, July 12, 2006

By Sybil Hoffman / 3TV Producer

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Explosive rages and dramatic mood swings -- if this describes your child, it may be a sign there is something medically wrong.

Rob Morrison was first diagnosed with bipolar disorder when he was just 4 years old. Now, 16 years later, he talks candidly about how he refused to let the label take control of his life.

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Rob and William Morrison

When Morrison was little, life wasn't exactly carefree.

"In my early childhood, it was hard for me to concentrate, hard for me to follow directions," he said. "I always remember my parents saying follow directions and saying I didn't know when to stop."

And for Morrison's parents, watching his behavior get worse took its toll.

He was "expelled from three or four day-care centers, which was very hard for us as parents," William Morrison said.

Desperate to get help, Morrison's parents met Dr. Eric Benjamin at Phoenix Children's Hospital.

"These kids are out of control and most parents react by saying, 'I'm not being a good parent,'" Benjamin said.

Even though Morrison was only 4 years old, Benjamin diagnosed him with bipolar disorder.

"When you have a bipolar disorder, you have two poles, extreme down and extreme up," Benjamin explained.

"Bipolar children are very irritable, moody, they can be nasty, hostile, they can curse more towards their parents, threaten to kill themselves," he continued.

"The reality is that children who have bipolar have strong family histories of bipolar so it's not like we're pulling something out of the air," Benjamin said.

It turns out that was the case in Morrison's family.

"I was undiagnosed as ADHD, as whatever you wish to call it, not quite as bi-polar, I don't think, as Rob in terms of the chemical imbalance," William said. "By helping Rob, I actually helped myself as well."

Now at 22 Morrison has achieved a lot.

He recently graduated from college with honors, completed a marathon and is now spending six months researching wetland ecology.

"I think the biggest misconception is that it can't be treated effectively," Morrison said. "That if you have bi-polar then no matter what you do, you can't control yourself or something and I've found that to be totally not true."

As for Morrison's dad, he hopes sharing their story will help others better understand.

"I'm obligated to take part of what I've learned and give it back," he said.

In order to help the nonprofit Phoenix Children's Hospital, 3TV is helping them raise money for their neonatal care unit. If you're interested in making a donation, click here.