Manic-depressive illness or bipolar disorder is a serious brain illness. The person has a good chance of doing well if managed well. This brain illness is marked by extreme behavioral, mood and energy changes. This manic-depressive illness can be treated during infant years but this illness is more common in 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
Adolescents who seemed normal until puberty and experience a comparatively sudden onset of symptoms are thought to be especially vulnerable to developing addiction to drugs and alcohol. Substance may be readily available among their peers and teens may use them to attempt to control their mood swings and insomnia. If addiction develops, it is essential to treat both the bipolar disorder and the substance abuse at the same time.
An adolescent with bipolar experience mood swings from very high, sad to hopeless with periods of normal mood in between. There are severe changes in mood, behavior and energy. The highs in bipolar disorder are called bipolar mania the low bipolar depression and hippomania the periods in between depression and mania.
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.
What are the treatments?
Several methods of treating bipolar disorder are:
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 and Support groups
Letting the affected teenagers communicate and open up in bipolar support group can help them manage their disorder by learning from other people. Knowing that there are also others who are suffering from such condition will give them the encouragement to pursue treatments.
Appropriate action must be taken if your teen age child is showing signs of bipolar disorder. Bipolar disorder must not be taken for granted because it is very dangerous. This is not a normal 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. - 16004
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
Adolescents who seemed normal until puberty and experience a comparatively sudden onset of symptoms are thought to be especially vulnerable to developing addiction to drugs and alcohol. Substance may be readily available among their peers and teens may use them to attempt to control their mood swings and insomnia. If addiction develops, it is essential to treat both the bipolar disorder and the substance abuse at the same time.
An adolescent with bipolar experience mood swings from very high, sad to hopeless with periods of normal mood in between. There are severe changes in mood, behavior and energy. The highs in bipolar disorder are called bipolar mania the low bipolar depression and hippomania the periods in between depression and mania.
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.
What are the treatments?
Several methods of treating bipolar disorder are:
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 and Support groups
Letting the affected teenagers communicate and open up in bipolar support group can help them manage their disorder by learning from other people. Knowing that there are also others who are suffering from such condition will give them the encouragement to pursue treatments.
Appropriate action must be taken if your teen age child is showing signs of bipolar disorder. Bipolar disorder must not be taken for granted because it is very dangerous. This is not a normal 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. - 16004
About the Author:
Ken P Doyle has got some experience in the field of bipolar for many years. For more information on Bipolar Children and Adolescent Bipolar check out his online resource site today.
