Bipolar Disorder

June 15, 2010

Dealing With Teen Bipolar Disorder

All of us that have teenage children have seen some mood changes, but usually that is just typical and normal teenage behavior. But if those mood swings are excessive and tend to go from bad to worse your child might be suffering from bipolar disorder. Teens with bipolar disorder can go from up to down in a matter of seconds. And their ups and downs are excessive; they tend to move the boundaries of normal teen behavior, so this is one thing to look out for.

The biggest difference between normal teen mood changes and bipolar disorder mood changes is that it will influence child’s life in general, from social and school activities to future job prospects. Kids with bipolar disorder often find school to be very hard for them, and that is not all, many of kids with bipolar disorder try to hurt themselves or commit suicide.

So how do we help out teenagers with bipolar disorder, what is there to be done? First you have to notice it and the symptoms are many, they are divided into two groups, mania and depression:

Mania:

1.1.    Increased energy
1.2.    Racing speech and thoughts
1.3.    Elevated mood and exaggerated optimism
1.4.    Increased physical and mental activity
1.5.    Decreased need for sleep
1.6.    Poor judgment
1.7.    Reckless behavior, like excessive spending, making rash decisions, and erratic driving
1.8.    Difficulty concentrating

Depression:

1.1.    Loss of energy or fatigue
1.2.    Prolonged sad or irritable mood
1.3.    Loss of interest in usual activities
1.4.    Sleeping too much or inability to sleep
1.5.    Drop in grades and inability to concentrate
1.6.    Appetite loss or overeating
1.7.    Anger, worry, and anxiety
1.8.    Thoughts of death or suicide

Once you are sure of the symptoms and have established that your child has bipolar disorder you need to provide treatment. There are two types of treatment, medication and therapy.

There are several types of medication that can help depending on the case, but be sure not to take any medication that was not prescribed by a doctor directly for your child. But the bottom line is that in most cases even doctors will have to experiment with what type of medication to use. It is not as simple as prescribing a certain medication, some children respond differently to a certain medication. On the other hand some of the cases are so complex that several different types of medication need to be combined in order to work.

You also need to be advised that medication cannot be stopped without doctor’s permission as it is very dangerous. If there are side effects or any other problem related to the medication your child is using you first need to consult the doctor. Never, and I repeat, never stop giving your child medication without doctor’s approval.

Therapy is most used in lighter cases without medication or in heavy cases in addition to medication. It mostly consists of psychotherapy; it is used in the way that will help your child deal with his behavior and mood changes. Mostly managing routines and ways to deal with stress, but this kind of therapy has helped plenty of kids with bipolar disorder and is still the most used and recommended.

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October 6, 2009

The Teen’s Brain

Filed under: abuse,addiction,ADHD,adolescents,Anxiety Disorder,behavior problems,bipolar disorder,body dysmorphic disorder,bullying,Carolina Springs Academy,Cross Creek Programs,Darrington Academy,date rape,depression,drinking,drnking,Dyslexia,eating disorder,emo,Gang involvement,grief,help for parents,Horizon Academy,interventions,Ivy Ridge Academy,learning disability,Majestic Ranch Academy,Midwest Academy,obesity,Obsessive compulsive disorder,oppositional defiant disorder,oral hygiene,Parent Support Groups,parenting teens,Red River Academy,Royal Gorge Academy,self-harming,sex adiction,smoking,special education,Specialty Boarding Schools,Spring Creek Lodge,step-families,substance abuse,suicide,teen behaviors,Teen Depression,Teen Drug Abuse,Teen Health,Teen Help,Teen Inspiration,Teen Pregnancy,teen safety,teen sex,tic disorder,tourette's syndrome,Uncategorized,violence — Tags: adolescent, alcohol, brain development, drugs, guns, parenting, risk, sex, teen death, teenagers — admin @ 10:14 am

Today’s teenagers have been stereotyped as adventurous and harebrained individuals. They are generally fond of experimenting with things until they get in touch with drugs, sex, guns, alcohol among others. According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention figures, 16,000 young adults die each year from unintentional injuries and accidents. The most common justification for teenagers’ care-free attitude is that their brains just aren’t developed enough to know better. However, recent research shows that in some cases the fact is just the opposite, the brain matures not too slowly but perhaps, too quickly.

According to a psychiatrist, an adolescent who engages in more dangerous activities have white-matter pathways that seem to be more mature than those of risk-averse youths. White-matter is the brain’s wiring, the neutral pathways that connect the various gray-matter regions of the cerebrum that are independent of one another. Having a mature white-matter is necessary because it allows faster brain processing speed. Nerve impulses also travel faster in mature white-matter. Experiments also reveal that the more mature the look of the brain, the more adventurous the teenager tended to be.
Another possible explanation is that some teenagers whose brains develop more rapidly than others become uncomfortable and a little confused owing to the gap between their biological capabilities and the social norms they must follow as kids. Precocious development of these neural tracts may make some adolescents more susceptible to engage in behaviors that society considers too adult in nature for their chronological age. It is also a common notion that teens make dumb decisions because their brains are immature. In other words, having a more mature brain may actually motivate some teens to try out new and potentially harmful experiences.
For now, these theories are mere speculation, and the researchers concede that the interaction of white and gray matter is so complex that hard conclusions remain elusive. The results of the study are relatively bare and by no means conclusive. The human brain is so intricate in nature, and one has to consider the fact that there are other factors that come into play such as the environment and certain genetic predispositions that are equally complex to study.

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June 4, 2008

Filed under: bipolar disorder — admin @ 3:22 pm

Bipolar disorder, also known as manic-depressive illness, is a brain disorder that causes unusual shifts in a person’s mood, energy, and ability to function. Although normal people have ups and downs from time to time, the symptoms of bipolar disorder are severe and can seriously damage relationships, job and academic performance and can even cause suicide. There is no known cure for the disorder but the symptoms can be treated and controlled with the right medications and psychotherapy. Without treatment, however, the natural course of bipolar disorder tends to worsen. Over time a person may suffer more frequent and more severe manic and depressive episodes than those experienced when the illness first appeared.

Bipolar disorder typically develops in late adolescence or early adulthood. However, some people have their first symptoms during childhood, and some develop them late in life. About 5.7 million American adults, and although the diagnosis is much more difficult, it still occurs in children and adolescents. Also, children and young adolescents with the illness often experience very fast mood swings between depression and mania many times within a day.

Bipolar disorder consists of highs( mania/manic ), which has a mild to moderate level called hypomania, and lows ( depression/depressive ) that have normal moods in between.

Signs and symptoms of mania (or a manic episode) include:

* Increased energy, activity, and restlessness

* Excessively “high,” overly good, euphoric mood

* Extreme irritability

* Racing thoughts and talking very fast, jumping from one idea to another

* Distractibility, can’t concentrate well

* Little sleep needed

* Unrealistic beliefs in one’s abilities and powers

* Poor judgment

* Spending sprees

* A lasting period of behavior that is different from usual

* Increased sexual drive

* Abuse of drugs, particularly cocaine, alcohol, and sleeping medications

* Provocative, intrusive, or aggressive behavior

* Denial that anything is wrong

Signs and symptoms of depression (or a depressive episode) include:

* Lasting sad, anxious, or empty mood

* Feelings of hopelessness or pessimism

* Feelings of guilt, worthlessness, or helplessness

* Loss of interest or pleasure in activities once enjoyed, including sex

* Decreased energy, a feeling of fatigue or of being “slowed down”

* Difficulty concentrating, remembering, making decisions

* Restlessness or irritability

* Sleeping too much, or can’t sleep

* Change in appetite and/or unintended weight loss or gain

* Chronic pain or other persistent bodily symptoms that are not caused by physical illness or injury

* Thoughts of death or suicide, or suicide attempts

A manic episode is diagnosed if elevated mood occurs with three or more of the other symptoms most of the day, nearly every day, for 1 week or longer. If the mood is irritable, four additional symptoms must be present. While, a depressive episode is diagnosed if five or more of these symptoms last most of the day, nearly every day, for a period of 2 weeks or longer. Severe episodes of mania or depression can sometimes include symptoms of psychosis such as hallucinations and delusions.

Although cause or causes of Bipolar Disorder is not yet clear, most scientists and researchers would agree that there are different factors that act together to cause the disorder. Genetics and brain structure are two of the most researched fields when it comes to Bipolar Disorder. These research’ are not only focused on finding the causes of the illness but also finding new ways to treat it.

The current treatment for Bipolar Disorder are mood stabilizers such as lithium and anticonvulsants, patients would most likely have to take these medications for a continuous and long period of time to achieve the best results. There are also specific symptoms that often require specific kind of medication like insomnia which requires sedatives so that the patient can have a good nights sleep, these kind of medications are taken for short periods of time along with mood stabilizers.

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