Bipolar disorder or manic-depressive illness is a serious brain illness. It has a good prognosis if treated and managed well. This disorder is marked by unusual and extreme mood, energy, and behavioral changes. The disorder can be diagnosed during childhood years but is more common during the adolescent and adult stages.
Manic-depressive illness can look different in children than in adults. Usually children with this brain illness have mood disturbance (a mix of mania and depression) that is ongoing and continuous. A traumatic event or loss can trigger episodes of depression or mania in adolescents. The illness can reoccur independently if the person experiences stress or can get worse with stress. Without proper treatment or medication manic depressive illness can come again or will get worse.
Substance abuse in adolescents and bipolar disorder
Some children are normal up until puberty and then experience a sudden onset of bipolar illness this children are more vulnerable to addiction to drugs and alcohol. Peers and teens may use drugs and alcohol to try and control their mood swings and insomnia. It is important to note that if substance abuse is diagnosed with bipolar disorder they must be treated at the same time.
Bipolar in adolescents causes dramatic mood swings " from overly high and/or irritable to sad to and hopeless, and then back again, often with periods of normal mood in between. Severe changes in energy and behavior go along with these changes in mood. The periods of high are called bipolar mania, the low bipolar depression and the middle between high and low is called hippomania.
Major signs in adolescents with bipolar disorder are: very unusual happiness, irritable and expansive mood, sleeping difficulty and not get tired, very talkative and hard to interrupt, overworked mind and a lot of physical activity. At the mania stage big impractical delusions are evident with signs of inflated power, self worth identity and knowledge. The person with bipolar is in a critical stage if he/she may be engaging in risky activities and hallucinations.
Some treatment options.
There are several methods on how to treat bipolar disorder, such as:
Medication
Doctors prescribe medication to bipolar patients according to the severity of the illness and if the symptoms is severe or not. Doctors may give a combination of medications to give the necessary effects. Parents are warned that stopping medications abruptly is both harmful and dangerous. Always parents must go back to their doctor if they are not sure.
Commonly used therapy for bipolar disorder in adolescents is the psychotherapy, which is also known as the talk therapy. This kind of therapy is usually effective. The goal of such therapy is to manage the teen's routines and to change their behavior. Psychotherapy may require many sessions before showing some improvements.
Bipolar support Groups
Bipolar support groups can learn and help each other by communicating and opening up to each other. Knowing that they are not alone and there are others out there who are also suffering from ups and downs people go through it is abnormal and more powerful. Some may try to commit suicide or harm themselves. Because of these problems, bipolar medication, therapies and support groups are all important in helping patients cope with the illness.
If your teenager is showing symptoms of bipolar disorder, you should immediately take appropriate action. Bipolar disorder can be very dangerous and is something that should not be taken for granted. It isn't just like the normal ups and downs that teenagers go through; it's actually more powerful than that. Some may try to harm themselves or even attempt to commit suicide. Because of these chances, adolescents with bipolar depression need not only take bipolar medications but also therapies and bipolar support groups as well to help them cope up with the
Manic-depressive illness can look different in children than in adults. Usually children with this brain illness have mood disturbance (a mix of mania and depression) that is ongoing and continuous. A traumatic event or loss can trigger episodes of depression or mania in adolescents. The illness can reoccur independently if the person experiences stress or can get worse with stress. Without proper treatment or medication manic depressive illness can come again or will get worse.
Substance abuse in adolescents and bipolar disorder
Some children are normal up until puberty and then experience a sudden onset of bipolar illness this children are more vulnerable to addiction to drugs and alcohol. Peers and teens may use drugs and alcohol to try and control their mood swings and insomnia. It is important to note that if substance abuse is diagnosed with bipolar disorder they must be treated at the same time.
Bipolar in adolescents causes dramatic mood swings " from overly high and/or irritable to sad to and hopeless, and then back again, often with periods of normal mood in between. Severe changes in energy and behavior go along with these changes in mood. The periods of high are called bipolar mania, the low bipolar depression and the middle between high and low is called hippomania.
Major signs in adolescents with bipolar disorder are: very unusual happiness, irritable and expansive mood, sleeping difficulty and not get tired, very talkative and hard to interrupt, overworked mind and a lot of physical activity. At the mania stage big impractical delusions are evident with signs of inflated power, self worth identity and knowledge. The person with bipolar is in a critical stage if he/she may be engaging in risky activities and hallucinations.
Some treatment options.
There are several methods on how to treat bipolar disorder, such as:
Medication
Doctors prescribe medication to bipolar patients according to the severity of the illness and if the symptoms is severe or not. Doctors may give a combination of medications to give the necessary effects. Parents are warned that stopping medications abruptly is both harmful and dangerous. Always parents must go back to their doctor if they are not sure.
Commonly used therapy for bipolar disorder in adolescents is the psychotherapy, which is also known as the talk therapy. This kind of therapy is usually effective. The goal of such therapy is to manage the teen's routines and to change their behavior. Psychotherapy may require many sessions before showing some improvements.
Bipolar support Groups
Bipolar support groups can learn and help each other by communicating and opening up to each other. Knowing that they are not alone and there are others out there who are also suffering from ups and downs people go through it is abnormal and more powerful. Some may try to commit suicide or harm themselves. Because of these problems, bipolar medication, therapies and support groups are all important in helping patients cope with the illness.
If your teenager is showing symptoms of bipolar disorder, you should immediately take appropriate action. Bipolar disorder can be very dangerous and is something that should not be taken for granted. It isn't just like the normal ups and downs that teenagers go through; it's actually more powerful than that. Some may try to harm themselves or even attempt to commit suicide. Because of these chances, adolescents with bipolar depression need not only take bipolar medications but also therapies and bipolar support groups as well to help them cope up with the
About the Author:
Ken P Doyle has had some experience in the study of bipolar for a long time. For more information on Bipolar Children and Adolescent Bipolar check out his online resource site today.
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