To understand the hows and whys of bipolar medication and bipolar symptoms, it is important to take a closer look at the brain, especially the cerebral cortex. It is a structure within the brain, a gray matter that plays a key role in how we see, touch hear, speak, remember and feel our emotions. It is the thinking part of the human system.

The Nerve Cells (neurons)

The Cortex is packed with nerve cells not larger than a pin head and houses 30,000 cells. Each neuron will communicate with other neuron, by chemicals and electric signals. These neurons (nerve cells) are separated by a gap called the synapse; this brain synapse is where neurons pass messages from one to the other. This simple chain of events, electric zap, followed by chemical changes, followed by another electrical zap is the basis of all brain activity. It is how neurons speak to each other.

Interconnecting System

There are 100 billion neurons in the brain, each neuron after receiving its information is hooked up to another 50, 000 neurons. One hundred billion neurons times 50 thousand connections = brainstorms. A neuron by itself cannot create ideas. To make it much easier to understand how bipolar medicine works or does not work we will try to give an example on a telephone network functions.

Our Telephone System Network

If you are trying to get in touch with somebody five hundred miles away all we have to do is take up a working telephone, dial their number and within minutes or seconds we are speaking and hearing each other. It sounds simple but it’s not. From one telephone to the other, it is connected by transmitters and these transmitters have three main things to keep it working. There is the generator (power source), the radio transmitter (receiving and giving radio signals) and the tower (to hold the radio transmitters). If one of these three goes wrong, signals cannot be received or be transmitted to the other transmitters.

Repairing Transmitting Stations and Medications

To repair these transmitting stations a repair person is sent to fix the problem. Let say the person sent can only fix one thing, the radio, but, the generator (electric power source) happens to be the culprit. You may have a person sent to fix but not in their power to fix it. When bipolar medications is taken, it then gets into the circulatory system and into the cells, once in the cells it operates to get the desired result, but if the medication enters the human system, like the repair man, who cannot fix the problem, bipolar symptoms will stay on.

Two or Three medications Into One

In some cases repair people can do the three tasks, fix the radio, generator and the tower. Some bipolar medications are put into one hoping like the repair man to be able to fix any of the three problems or all three.

Right Diagnosis

Doctors, like chief engineers have to pinpoint the actual problem before sending people to repair the problem. If let’s say they have identified correctly there is a bigger chance of the problem being fixed, but if there are lots of guess work, the odds against fixing the problem is great.

Finally

All of us think that all bipolar medications will fix the problem we want fixed. What we think and what actually happens in our human system is completely different. When one takes in bipolar medication there is always the hope that it will get the desired result.

"Your child is on top of the world laughing, excited and full of confidence, the next thing you know they can be talking about suicide. There might be tantrums, crying, even threats of violence, what could be possibly be happening. Well the answer might be bipolar disorder which used to be called manic depression. That diagnosis in children has increased in the past ten years, but there are still some questions of what exactly the symptoms are?” These were the words of Winnie King hosting the program called “Keeping Kids Healthy”.

The Two Angle Approach

These bipolar symptoms can be looked at from two different angles. One is through the eyes of the bipolar adolescent child and the other from those on the outside, especially those who have to deal with the patient on a daily basis. These can include parents or immediate families, teachers, doctors or psychiatrists and other relevant stake holders.

Symptoms from the Victim

When explaining their bipolar symptoms, children will usually describe the emotional highs and lows of the illness. Their experience could be summed up in this quote “It is a cycle I go with it every day, I start with a high and go down to low but normal in between, crash and start all over again.” Usually the mind is the one they have to go against with one side saying to get better yet on the other side they do not want to get well. It is a battle raging within and no matter what we say or do from the outside we cannot alter the situation. In most cases it makes it worse when we try to intervene. One effective way to intervene and control those electric neuron transmitters running wild in the brain is to use bipolar medication which has proved successful for many.

Bipolar from an Onlooker

As an onlooker we can only see the actions and emotions exposed by a child with the disease.  Common complaints from parents are; “He would be banging his head against the wall, saying things like I want to be dead, give me a knife. Sometimes just the word NO or DON’T can set up a set of angry reactions with things flying and angry words being spoken.” Some parents even experience constant verbal abuse from their children.

Act and Do not React

SO, what can you do as a parent? As a parent or caregiver you can, beside the usual medication, give your Adolescent child a break, just give them time to think and evaluate their actions. It is important to remember that what is happening in your child is something they have no control over. Since your child does not have any self control they get frustrated and those disappointments could lead to other unruly actions or behaviors.

Difficulties in Diagnosing Adolescent

Diagnosing adolescent bipolar children can be complex for any doctor, especially at this stage of physical and mental human development. Bipolar symptoms in young adolescent may be similar to that of young children, and older adolescent (young adults) is closer to that of adult symptoms. At times you may think you child is suffering from bipolar when really it may only be a phase of growing up. If you really do think his/her moods are extreme beyond normal then seek an evaluation from a doctor.

Hope

While we all hope and pray that one day our child will get better, sometimes our hope can turn to despair. This has happened in many cases but yet bipolar parents continue to fight the good fight. Even though your ill child may or may not get better you can only promise to give the best when things look bleak. Ultimately, your love for your adolescent bipolar child is being tested and sometimes they need you to hang on just as much as they are.