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.

Depending on who you talk to, some terminologies people use to call bipolar by are bipolar disease, bipolar illness, bipolar disorder, bipolar symptoms and medical condition or morbidity.

What is a Disease?

A disease is “A pathological or medical condition of mind or body,” according the English Dictionary. On the other hand an infectious disease is the presence of pathogenic microbial agents, such as viruses, bacteria, fungi, protozoa, multicellular parasites and prions which are a known abnormal protein. If an infection does not cause a clinically impairment of normal functioning, it is not considered a disease. The more popular forms of disease which are non-infectious are cancer, heart disease and diseases caused by genes.

Clinically Impaired

When adolescents are hit with bipolar disease, one of the most obvious signs and growing evidence is that individuals have mental impairments, even during periods of symptom remission. Bipolar disease falls in the impairments category like Alzheimer dementia and schizophrenia, but they are not as severe.

Cognitive impairment

It is unclear how common cognitive impairment among adolescent bipolar diseases occurs. A big number of patients complain of neuropsychological problems (a psychological processes and overt behaviors linked to the brain). Because adolescent bipolar sufferers do not complain of cognitive or mental problems, there is a possibility that neuropsychological impairments may be more widespread than our experience suggests.

Time Frame

What is the time frame for each episode to occur in a person with bipolar disease? We are all different so there is no time frame in this ongoing illness. It can go from manic to calm to depressive to calm again. For some it can be 2 days manic than 3 to 4 weeks all good calm and normal and 5 days depressing and 1 week of calm and normal again. This bipolar disease can last from a few minutes to one whole year with some experiencing "normalcy", which is a lack of problematic symptoms. Other Individuals can experience periods of double or mixed episodes in which symptoms of depression and mania are either present, or a person may transit from one episode to the next without a symptom-free period.

Important Guidelines
Alcohol: be careful, it can inflate the bipolar disease.
2. Promiscuity:  high to very high sexual libido especially when in the manic episode.
3. Medication: Doctors usually go through trial and error to find the right combination of drugs.
4. Suicidal: For some it is the only way out of the situation. Look for injuries especially cuttings on the body.
5. Forcing: Do not force patients to do something they do not want. You may find yourself facing a tiger.
6. Clarity: be really clear with your doctor about what symptoms are bothering you for them to address and diagnose it properly.

Heart Breaking

For many mental health conditions, symptoms of bipolar can overlap. A lot of people with adolescent bipolar disease have to be amazingly strong. The darkness that sometimes wells up out of people struggling with bipolar illness can be incredible. But even more difficult is the sharing of hopes, dreams and love with someone like this and then watching the person you love melt away and replaced by a completely different stranger.

Final Words

Bipolar disease cannot be cured but it can be controlled. For those adolescents suffering from this bipolar disease it is important they and their families be surrounded by a good support network in those difficult times. More importantly, medication must be taken at times allotted so the disease does not add stress to others and also break up existing strained relationships.

"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.

Adolescent bipolar disorder is a serious mental illness characterized by recurring modes of depression, mania, and/or mixed symptom states. These different episodes cause very unusual and extreme shifts in mood, energy, and behavior that interfere with the adolescent day to day and healthy functioning.

Symptoms

Symptoms of depression and mania in adolescents may manifest themselves through a variety of different behaviors in bipolar 1 and bipolar 2. Manic and depressive states may include alcohol or substance abuse and difficulty with other people.

Mania

Adolescents with mania episodes are more likely to be irritable and prone to destructive outbursts compared to adults.

Depression

The most common physical complaints when depressed are headaches, muscle aches, stomachaches or tiredness. Other signs to look out for are frequent absences from school or poor performance in school. They tend to talk a lot and will want to run away from home, are irritable, always complaining and unexplained crying. Their social life suffers by isolating themselves due to probably their extreme sensitivity, rejection or failure attitude and poor communication skills.

Bipolar Treatment

An adolescent who has a family history of bipolar illness and showing signs  of depression and very severe ADHD-like symptoms with excessive temper outbursts and mood changes should be checked immediately by a psychiatrist or local doctor. It is very important to have a good evaluation done especially when psychostimulant medications are prescribed for ADHD because it can make mania symptoms worse. Some have suggested that ADHD come before a full-blown mania, but there is little evidence on that assumption.

Other Findings

Study from NIMH suggest, that the illness is at least as common among youths as with adults. According to this study, 1% of adolescents ages 14 to 18 were found to have met criteria for bipolar disorder or cyclothymia, a similar but milder mental illness. Compared to adolescents with a history of major depressive disorders, teens with bipolar disorder and those with subclinical symptoms had greater functional impairment and higher rates of their illness reoccurring. Finally this study has highlighted the need to improve and recognize the treatment and prevention of even the milder and subclinical cases of adolescent bipolar disorder.

Protective Environment

Some families do not have a protective environment for those who have a severe disturbance. One is needed, both for the person who is ill and for others around that person. A protective environment is so important to prevent harm to anyone – and everyone in such situations. Before families can seek medication for their bipolar adolescent child -safety – is the first thing that needs to be ensured.

Inner Resources

Psychiatrists often will look for inner resources the patient might have, before resorting to medication. This mental illness has nothing to do with the persons abilities to handle their illness nor is it a sign of strength or weakness. Usually a protective environment will allow psychiatric to use whatever inner resources the patient might have, especially when mental facilities is not there or the right medication is not available.

Ongoing Problem

One of the major problems continually faced by families with adolescent bipolar is the availability of mental health institutions and proper medications and good doctors to diagnose the illness properly. But the most feared one is the stigma that goes with this mental illness which can be ongoing and downgrading.

What is bipolar disorder?

Bipolar disease, also known as manic depressive illness, affects about one out of every hundred people in the United States. It's a serious mood disorder known for its severe changes in mood ranging from depression to manic states. People with bipolar may also experience mixed episodes, during which they have symptoms of depression and mania at the same time. Depending on the type of bipolar disease, people can have mood changes as quickly as within one hour, or only once a year.

Adolescent bipolar disease, though similar to adult bipolar disorder, brings on a separate set of challenges. Adolescents are already dealing with major mood and hormone changes due to puberty, and bipolar disorder simply intensifies that.

Symptoms of adolescent bipolar disorder

Adolescents experiencing a depressive episode can experience extreme sadness, feelings of hopelessness, changes in sleeping and eating habits, having no energy, and having no interest in activities or friends. If the depression is more severe, adolescents may also have thoughts or feelings of suicide, or a preoccupation with death.

Adolescents going through a manic episode can experience increased energy or hyperactivity, difficulty concentrating or focusing on one thing, take more risks, or become aggressive or angry easily. Some adolescents may also think and talk about sex more often.

Treatment of adolescent bipolar disorder

The treatment used for adolescent bipolar disorder is similar to adult bipolar disorder, which usually includes a combination of medication and psychotherapy. However, it may be difficult to find the right combination for adolescents since their hormone levels are changing frequently.

Another important aspect of treatment of adolescent bipolar is a strong support system. Not only will this help adolescents accept the illness and work through any difficulties that come up, but it can help ensure that the right medications are being used, and any side effects are being reported right away.

In order to be a part of that strong support system, knowledge about adolescent bipolar disorder is important. If you have a better understanding of the illness, you will have a better understanding of how to help your child, and how to make sure your child is getting the help he or she needs to be healthy and happy.

Self mutilation, typically in the form of cutting is one type of self injury often associated with adolescent bipolar disease. However, self injury does not mean that the person in question is bipolar; there are other disorders which may be characterized by self mutilation.

Cutting, Burning and Even Suicide

Types of self injury seen in adolescent bipolar disease patients include cutting and burning. While these behaviors are more commonly seen in adolescent bipolar girls, it is by no means confined to this group.

Many who engage in self injury are depressed or even suicidal; but these self injuries are not actually intended to be suicide attempts – but they are often characteristic of adolescent bipolar disorder patients.

While self injury is not a suicide attempt, there is a risk of suicide present in the same adolescent bipolar disease patients who engage in self injury. There may be warning signs like suicidal fantasies, planning for the act and possibly tentative suicide attempts made. Any self injuries should be treated with the utmost seriousness.

Thinking about suicide can drive a depressed adolescent bipolar patient to obsess on the idea. At this point there is a serious risk of wither self injury or suicide attempts.

Be Careful

Once an adolescent bipolar disorder patient starts planning for suicide, they should be watched closely. While they may never go beyond the planning stage, there is a genuine risk of self injury or suicide in these patients – and whether or not they will actually carry out any of these acts is difficult to predict.

In many cases, it may not even be known that an adolescent bipolar disorder patient is entertaining suicidal thoughts until they actually make an attempt. Any and all suicide attempts should be taken very seriously, as should any self injuries or attempts at self injury.

These patients must be monitored, something which statistics have borne out – people who have made suicide attempts are 40 times more likely to successfully commit suicide than are those who have never made an attempt.

Watch for Signs

Any time an adolescent bipolar disorder sufferer starts to try to set their affairs in order out of the blue should be taken as a red flag that they are considering suicide. Making financial arrangements such as a will or giving away prized possessions are definite signs; these patients are certainly also at risk of self injury.

Remember that a large number of suicidal thoughts and attempts ultimately end in a successful suicide attempt. Around 11% of deaths in the US are self-inflicted and the numbers of adolescent bipolar disorder patients who kill themselves is increasing.

Bipolar disorder is a very difficult condition to cope with, even without self injury and suicide attempts. When there are acts of self injury or suicide attempts, adolescent bipolar disorder sufferers must be especially closely attended to.

How common is Bipolar in Children?

The diagnosis of bipolar in children is considered controversial and very rare.   According to some studies, the onset of the disorder prior to the age of ten can be estimated to about 0.3% to 0.5% of the people affected with bipolar disorder. Some case reviews even suggest a prevalence rate that is higher than this figure. The number of bipolar kids has increased 40-fold from the year 1994 to the year 2003 and is currently continuing to increase in rate. Recent studies suggest that bipolar can strike as early as the age of seven years old and is now a more common case compared to the cases handled in the past.

Adolescent Bipolar

The peak years of the onset of most bipolar illnesses are during late adolescence and early adulthood.  People who are experiencing bipolar during this time of their lives can be severely disrupted since these are the critical periods in the development of vocational and social aspects of a young adult's life. In any given year, about 2.6 percent of people who age 18 years and older suffer from bipolar illness.

The symptoms of bipolar are different in adults than in children, which presents a diagnostic challenge to the professionals in the field of mental health. Bipolar in adults have predictable patterns of symptoms, unlike in bipolar disorder children that very often exhibit explosive outburst and irritable moods. Also, bipolar kids may experience the cycles of manic-depressive far more rapidly compared to adult cases.

Bipolar Disorder Children

More often than not, bipolar disorder children may be overlooked due that the fact that some of the symptoms can mimic other symptoms of mental disorders such as the ADHD or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.  Sometimes, bipolar even co-exists with ADHD.

Bipolar in Adults

Unlike bipolar disorder in children, in adults, bipolar is often not recognized as an illness because it can mask the symptoms of postpartum psychosis, postpartum depression, premenstrual dysphoric disorder, and substance abuse. Bipolar must be carefully managed throughout the life of the person since it is a long-term disorder.

Because of the possible cases that bipolar can be overlooked since it has similar symptoms like other mental disorders, it is necessary to be knowledgeable enough with the disorder.  Bipolar disorder is a serious mental disorder since it is one of the reasons for people to commit suicide.  If diagnosed early and with proper management, bipolar has a good prognosis and can easily be treated. Bipolar in children or adolescent bipolar are serious matters that need to be addressed at an early stage.

Bipolar Children and Adolescent Bipolar Diagnosis

It is a hard thing to diagnose for sure. Often times bipolar disorder in children seems like ADHD, or normal active behavior for the child. Many times children go from depression to being manic and then to normal behavior very quickly, only taking a matter of days or weeks to transition.

Many times suicide can occur suddenly and with no previous warning.  This differs from older adult age people, who usually have long depressions and the suicide is often times premeditated. This fact makes it crucial that bipolar in children be properly diagnosed and the correct treatment given.

Bipolar in Children Symptoms

Often the symptoms of bipolar in children show up as mania.   This can be in the form of hallucinations (visual and auditory). It may appear to be hard to tell these from just a young child's ordinary imagination. The truth is that it really is at times.  Other times though the voices that are heard and the visions that are seen are much more terrifying or disturbing than a normal child without bipolar can possibly imagine.

Adolescent Bipolar Dangers

When it comes to adolescent bipolar, their symptoms are more towards what the adult's symptoms are. The big complication with teens is if they are using alcohol or drugs. This is often done to control the different moods that can happen with this disorder, adults and teens both do this self medicating. This is so dangerous because it can cover up the disorder's actual symptoms. Adolescent bipolar should always be suspected when they are using drugs.

When it comes to bipolar disorder in children, who are in their teenage years, it is harder than adults because the teens are still minors. These teens are often at odds with authority figures and they can be hard to get to conform to treatment options.

But there are a few methods for minimizing the confusion. Consulting with the teachers that the child has, gives the parent an idea of what goes on daily with the child. It also allows the parent to know how the child does away from home.

Consult a Doctor

Since many doctors out there disagree about bipolar in children, it is wise to get a second opinion. Once the second opinion has been received, a totally informed decision about treatment can be made and how to go forward with it. A second opinion helps clear things up in the event that one doctor can be wrong diagnosing bipolar in children. A guardian or parent should always closely listen to know if the doctor's decision sounds plausible. But it does fall to the parents to make the final decision. A wrong diagnosis leading to wrong treatment would be hard to think of, but in the event that bipolar disorder in children is the right diagnosis, it is advisable to accept it and go forward. It is always important to take care of bipolar children.