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Signs & Symptoms of Bi Polar Disorder in Teenagers

Bipolar disorder is a debilitating disease. As like most mental illnesses, many people have the misconception that they do not affect teens or children. This article will dispel those myths and show that teens can fall into a spiral of mental illness as well.

  1. Bipolar Statistics

    • According to the bipolar symptoms website, 2.6 percent of the American population are burdened with bipolar disorder. This number does not include children. Typically, the age of onset for bipolar is around 25. One percent of all youth from ages 14 to 18 may be affected by bipolar disorder as well. Additionally, being bipolar is more frequent in adolescence than it is in adulthood. Bipolar I disorder cycles through manias and depressive states.

    Manic Symptoms

    • Manic symptoms occur when a teen feels invincible, on top of the world and hugely successful. Symptoms in teens include severe changes in mood, feeling invincible mentally or physically, a great increase in energy and talkativeness, high-risk and reckless behavior, and being easily distracted.

    Depressive Symptoms

    • Depressive symptoms occur when a teen suffers from mania. The height of the mania makes the low of the depression much worse as the teenager cycles through the stages. Symptoms include depression, crying, irritability, thoughts of death and suicide, fatigue and poor concentration, and major changes in eating and sleeping regimens.

    Don't be Fooled

    • Many parents will think that their child is acting as a normal teen with hormones raging and from alternating from being silly to being blue. Bipolar disorder entails quite a lot more then becoming happy and then becoming sad. Bipolar is a strain on daily life and sometimes the teen will not be able to function properly. The teen may receive bad grades, get in a needless automobile accident or take outrageous risks from bodily and mental viewpoints. These behaviors may masquerade as normal teenage angst, but in reality, they could be signs of full-blown bipolar disorder.

    Getting Help

    • There is help available from many sources, including county mental health centers that will charge you the minimal fee for therapy and medication. There are also special plans that protect people with no insurance, income or stability from paying outrageous fees for medication and therapy sessions they so desperately need. You are urged to take your teen to seek psychiatric care if you notice any of these symptoms, especially if they worsen with time.

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