The Three Stages of Adolescent Bipolar and It's Symptoms

Adolescent is that transitional stage of development between childhood and adulthood and represents the period of time during which a person experiences a variety of biological changes and encounters a number of emotional issues both in boys and in girls. Depending on the culture the ages range from 10 years (preteens) to nineteen years (young adult). According to (WHO), the World Health Organization, adolescence covers the period of life between 10 and 20 years of age. For the sake of adolescence bipolar we will be dividing these phases into three: early, mid and late adolescence.

Early Adolescent Bipolar

There is evidence indicating that bipolar disorder which was diagnosed in childhood or early adolescence is different, possibly a more severe form of the illness in older or late adolescence. A case study on a 10 year old saw that the child’s difficult behaviors were first noted between the ages of 2 and 3, when he would yell and bang his head at day care. He would be hostile by hitting, kicking, biting others and thrash around in a tantrum over something very simple. He was enthusiastic most of the time being helpful and constantly on the move, but he would be furious over nothing within minutes. The physical symptoms were headaches, stomach problems, difficulty swallowing and frequent diarrhea.

Mid – Adolescent (13 – 15 or 16 years)

Very often we hear, “my boyfriend is bipolar and I'd appreciate some advice. He has been very emotional, one minute he is happy and the next he is sad. He has a hard time getting out his emotions and sharing them with me.” A person with bipolar needs to focus on controlling the illness through treatment rather than letting the illness control them. When the illness takes control they in turn try to control others in a relationship. This can be damaging to the other person who does not know what is happening in the mind. It is important to have a long-term daily bipolar medication and ongoing psychiatric care to maintain a good quality of life.

Late – Adolescent (about 16– 20 yrs)

Late adolescent bipolar symptoms are much closer to adult bipolar than to early adolescent or late childhood bipolar. While it is important to give your children the chance to express their personalities and bizarreness, you must always keep careful watch over your child’s friends. This is because they tend to act without thinking and don't always know what is good for them or the middle ground. A large percentage of bipolar adolescent experiment with drugs or  alcohol for self medication. These kids take illicit drugs or alcohol because they feel like their painful life is getting out of control. On the contrary, illicit drugs make bipolar worse.

Outlet

Bipolar individuals are often very talented and gifted people with talents expressed through writing, liberal arts, poetry, artwork, etc. You should encourage your bipolar child to express their talents in anything that they show interest in, like joining a band, orchestra, drama, outdoor sports, art lessons, or collecting something. This could be anything they can do and be proud of themselves for doing it. Finally use positive words and praise them for everything you can think of. It will sure boost their ego for doing something good or right.