Even today, mental health disorders are often passed off as “mood swings” or “just a bad phase.” This discourse is further reified in the case of teens and young adults. One of the most common reasons behind the lack of awareness and reluctance to acknowledge mental health issues as “real health concerns in teens, stems from the misconception that being young, they hardly have to confront any factors that would affect their emotional and mental well being.
Bipolar disorder is one such mental health disorder that is misconstrued as erratic behavior or anxiety in young adults. It is important to understand that while many teenagers go through shifts in mood during puberty as their bodies adapt to changing hormones, bipolar disorder is a condition that disrupts a person’s daily life and requires treatment.
Bipolar disorder is a serious mood disorder that causes drastic changes in a person’s mood and energy levels. The spectrum of mood swings can range from periods of extreme ups, elated, energized behavior (known as manic episodes) to episodes of immense sadness, characterized by indifference and hopelessness (known as depressive episodes). And it is between these stages that people might return to the typical mood or behavior. While there is no cure for bipolar disorder, the symptoms can be managed using a range of treatments, such as bipolar affective disorder medication, therapy, and lifestyle changes.
While bipolar disorder can arise at any age, including in children, it most commonly develops in the late teens and early adult years. According to research conducted by the National Comorbidity Survey Adolescent Supplement, an estimated 2.9% of adolescents had bipolar disorder in the US between the ages 13-18.
To understand the difference between bipolar disorder, mood swings, and depression in teenagers, it is important to understand how bipolar disorder typically presents itself. Common signs of manic episodes in teens include:
A depressive episode might look like:
Teens with a family history of bipolar disorder are at a high risk of developing the condition. In fact, BP is a recurrent familial disorder that occurs in 1–3% of youth, particularly in adolescents. However, researchers are still looking for the gene or genes that may cause the disorder. Additionally, bipolar disorder might often accompany other disorders, further complicating its scope of diagnosis. A study that featured in Child and Adolescent Mental Health pointed out that there is between a 20 and 80 percent chance that a person with bipolar disorder will also experience another disorder, such as ADHD and anxiety disorder.
While there is no cure for this disorder, your doctor can help mitigate symptoms using a combination of lifestyle changes, medication, and psychotherapy for bipolar disorder. The course of treatment followed will essentially depend on your teen’s symptoms, age, and general health. It will also depend on how severe the condition is.
If you are witnessing any of the above signs in your teen and suspect that they have bipolar disorder, you might want to seek professional help and start the treatment right away. Get in touch with Faith & Hope LLC to book your appointment today!
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