Thursday, January 22, 2009

Bipolar Disorder - Adolescents

By Ken P Doyle

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.

Bipolar illness may look different in children than in adults. Bipolar children usually have an ongoing, continuous mood disturbance that is a mix of mania and depression. However, in some adolescents, a loss may trigger a first episode of depression or mania. Later episodes may occur independently of any obvious stresses, or may worsen with stress. Once the illness starts, episodes tend to reoccur and worsen without treatment.

Substance abuse and bipolar disorder in adolescents

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.

Dramatic mood swings from very high to low and normal mood in between can be experienced by adolescent with bipolar. Dramatic changes in behavior, mood and energy level can swing from very high to very low. Bipolar highs are called mania, the low depression and the middle 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.

Latest treatments available:

There are several ways bipolar disorder can be treated, like:

Taking medication

Several types of medication are prescribed by doctors depending on the symptoms and the severity of the illness. To have the desired effects doctors can combine few medicines together. Parents of bipolar patients must be warned that stopping these medications all of a sudden can be harmful. Always go back and seek the doctors advice if anything happens.

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 - 20762

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