Bipolar disorder is a serious, but treatable, disorder characterized by extreme alternating moods that range from depression to mania. Irritability, silliness, moodiness, and rapid speech are symptoms of bipolar disorder, but they are also normal parts of adolescence! The diagnosis of teen bipolar disorder is further complicated by the fact that its symptoms differ from those of adult bipolar disorder and often mimic the symptoms of other disorders, such as ADHD.<\/p>\n
So how do you know if your teen has the serious but treatable condition of bipolar disorder<\/a> or is just experiencing normal adolescent moodiness?<\/p>\n It should first be noted that parents are generally not in a good position to diagnose their children; this should be left to a licensed mental health professional outside of the family system. Nonetheless, it is critical that parents pay close attention to behaviors that might require the involvement of a physician, therapist, or treatment program. Research has revealed that up to 67% of persons with bipolar disorder experienced the onset of the illness before the age 18. Missing the opportunity to accurately diagnose bipolar disorder during childhood can actually exacerbate the condition later in life, further impairing functioning as an adult.<\/p>\n Conditions that, on first blush, may seem similar often have very different risks and require different treatment approaches, so accurate diagnosis is critical. The suicide rate for bipolar disorder, for instance, is double that of major depression. So if you are in doubt about whether your child is exhibiting normal teen behavior or a budding emotional or psychological disorder, seek the help of a professional immediately to ensure an accurate diagnosis and appropriate treatment.<\/p>\n Any combination of the following behaviors may be symptomatic of bipolar disorder. If your child exhibits these symptoms to a degree or with a frequency that concerns you and\/or impairs your child’s relationships or functioning, it could be a sign of a serious condition. Signs of bipolar disorder, while mimicking those of adolescence itself, is a serious and potentially life-threatening illness that requires medical and psychological treatment.<\/p>\n While bipolar disorder is a serious and sometimes life-threatening condition, the good news is that it is treatable. If your child is diagnosed with bipolar disorder, there is hope for a healthy and productive life through the application of modern treatment approaches that include:<\/p>\n Coville & Miklowitz (2008) Correlates of High Expressed Emotion Attitudes Among Parents of Bipolar Adolescents Journal of Clinical Psychology, Vol 64(4) 438-449 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Bipolar disorder is a serious, but treatable, disorder characterized by extreme alternating moods that range from depression to mania. Irritability, silliness, moodiness, and rapid speech are symptoms of bipolar disorder, but they are also normal parts of adolescence! The diagnosis of teen bipolar disorder is further complicated by the fact that its symptoms differ from […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[39],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/innerchange.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1467"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/innerchange.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/innerchange.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/innerchange.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/innerchange.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1467"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/innerchange.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1467\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1885,"href":"https:\/\/innerchange.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1467\/revisions\/1885"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/innerchange.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1467"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/innerchange.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1467"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/innerchange.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1467"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Look for the Signs\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n
The Signs:<\/h3>\n
\n
Treatment for Bipolar Disorder<\/h3>\n
\n
Sources:<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\nYoungstrom, E.A. (2008) Pediatric Bipolar Disorder: Evidence for Its Diagnostic Validity and Recommendations for Making the Diagnosis Clincian’s Digest
\nApps & Winkler (2008) Bipolar Disorders: Symptoms and Treatment in Children and Adolescents Pediatric Nursing Vol.34. No.1
\nDuffy. A (2007) Does Bipolar Disorder Exist in Children? A Selected Review The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry Vol. 52, No 7<\/p>\n