BEAUTY KLINIC

Millions of people all over the world are affected by bipolar disorder. It is assumed that out of these millions, majority of them are adults. On the other hand, adolescents hold a significant percentage of those struggling with bipolar disorder and this adds a massive complexity to their lives. This is due to the fact that not only do they have to deal with the common struggles that every teenager goes through but they also have to contend with the serious symptoms of bipolar disease and adolescent bipolar disorder.

Outlining Bipolar Disorder

Severe mood swings are the usual reference given when mentioning bipolar disorder which was originally named manic-depressive disorder. The mood swings usually range from an elevated sense of euphoria (mania) to a severe low cycle of the depressive phase. Common knowledge of the euphoria phase is seen as a stage of excitement and minor anxiety whereas the depressive phase is seen as utter sadness or fatigue. In reality, both these phases are extremely serious and are known to affect energy levels, decision-making, cognitive functions, concentration, and other critical capabilities needed to carry out the essential functions of life.

While bipolar disorder is a serious psychiatric condition, it is not untreatable. Often, outpatient prescription therapy and counseling can help alleviate many of the negative effects of bipolar disease. However, this can be a challenge for adults. For adolescents, bipolar disorder brings further complexities.

The Onset of Bipolar Disease and Adolescent Bipolar Disorder

It is a fact that bipolar disorder starts developing in the late teen or early adult years in most people. Although it is rare for bipolar to develop in children and young teens, it is possible and has happened a lot. Early Onset Bipolar Disorder is what it’s called and the mood swings are more frequent because of the lack of emotional development in the adolescent.

How Can a Parent Detect Adolescent Bipolar Disease and Adolescent Bipolar Disorder?

Adolescents share many of the same symptoms that an adult will display. Noticeable symptoms common in both of them include lacking a clear attention span, severe mood swings, lethargy, extreme excitement and talkativeness, and displaying a very depressed or sad mood are all signs of the disorder.

Behavior at school can also be affected by these symptoms. Is your adolescent having trouble making and maintaining friends? Have their grades started to slip? And has he/she been involved in a few disciplinary incidents? These situations could indicate the possible presence of bipolar disorder.

Of course, a parent will not know for sure unless the adolescent is properly diagnosed by a qualified mental health professional. Usually, a board certified psychiatrist would be the most reliable source for a diagnosis. However, it is critical that parents do not make decisions as to whether or not an adolescent had a serious mental disorder. Doing so would only inhibit the youth from receiving the proper treatment.

Getting to Know Which Treatments Work

Combination of medical treatment and therapy is generally what treatment for bipolar involves. Prescribed medications such as anti-depressants, mood stabilizers, and anti-anxiety prescriptions are usually given. The treatment for adolescent bipolar may last for many years and will most likely be carried into adulthood. Regardless of this, the primary concern here is not the duration of the treatment. Patients should rather focus on utilizing their treatment to establish a normal life with the least amount of problems that come from the condition. For both adults and adolescents, this is true.

According to World Health Organization (WHO), the sixth leading cause of disability in the world is bipolar disease and adolescent bipolar. And the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry has confirmed that a staggering number of 3.4 million children and adolescents may actually be suffering from depression, an early- onset of bipolar disorders, in the United States alone. Bipolar disease which is a mental illness has been discovered to cause a lot of problems both in how people live and their individual health.

Probable Causes of Adolescent Bipolar

When the chemicals in the brain become imbalanced, this causes a disorder called bipolar. Serious physiological and psychological problems happen when the brain chemical imbalance occurs. The rise of two brain chemicals, the neurotransmitters and especially the norepinephine to the danger level cause bipolar disorder. Genetics can also be one cause of bipolar disease. Parents who have bipolar have a higher risk of conveying the sickness to their children. Bipolar is caused not only by genes or multiple genetic combination’s, it can also be caused by the environment the person is living in. The place can be very depressing which than causes the imbalance in brain chemical. Other factors that can cause bipolar illness are emotional stress, the use of drugs, and other illness which may trigger symptoms in bipolar. It is highly likely that children suffering from anxiety disorders will eventually incur bipolar disorder.

Signs and Symptoms

Symptoms and Signs The primary characteristic of bipolar in adolescent is the intense mood swings. There are generally three phases in bipolar; mania, depression and manic depression. Common signs and symptoms of mania include; an unusual feeling of high and optimistic OR extremely irritable, grandiose, and unrealistic beliefs about ones abilities or powers, very little sleep, jumping quickly from one idea to the next, easily distractible, unable to concentrate, acts recklessly without thinking about the consequences, hallucinations and delusions (in severe cases). Common symptoms of bipolar depression include feeling sad, hopeless or empty, very irritable, unable to experience pleasure, easily tired or loss of energy, physical and mental sluggishness , change of appetite or weight changes, problems with sleeping, concentration and memory problems. A mixed episode of bipolar disorder features symptoms of both mania or hypomania and depression.This combination of high energy and low mood makes for a particularly high risk of suicide

Available Treatment for Bipolar Disorder in Adolescent

Adolescent bipolar disorder is in fact curable. The key to effectively treating the disease is immediate diagnosis and proper treatment plan. It is crucial for children and teens that are showing signs of changes in personality due to extreme moodiness, manifest symptoms of depression along with eating disorders, severe mood swings and suicidal tendencies to be subjected to a recommended treatment plan fast.

To treat bipolar disorder, patients are put under certain medications and advised to go under therapy. In terms of medication, children may need to take more than one drug depending on the complexity of their bipolar condition. The kind of therapy or psychotherapy designed for children and teens is often called talk therapy were they are coached to manage their symptoms and deal with their disease.

Treating your Child

The early-onset bipolar disorder, the bipolar disorder developed by children, can be more severe than those experienced by older teens and adults. They are more likely to manifest intense mood swings than that observed from adults suffering the disease. The episodes of mood shifts can last for days, weeks, months, years or even in a lifetime. Because of the extreme and often risky behavior elicited by the disease, it is imperative that parents take the proactive role in facing and understanding the nature of early-onset bipolar disorder.

A person dealing with bipolar disorder experiences a fleeting good feeling or extremely bad mood, a cycle that usually lasts for days, weeks or months. The mood changes caused by bipolar disorder are so intense that it can already interfere with the person’s disposition or ability to function. This explains the direct relation between bipolar symptoms and bipolar medication.

Medication alone is not enough to effectively control the symptoms of bipolar. It is the same for almost all types of diseases. Many people have the understanding that bipolar medications are the keys to treating the disorder. Medications are there to only find a relief to the symptoms of the disorder. Bipolar disorder medication is only there to help sufferers cope with the disorder. It helps them minimize the disruptions caused to their daily activities. It is a serious health issue that needs more than medications to cure it.

Signs and Symptoms

In most cases, there are four classifications of the symptoms of bipolar. The first is Mania. Here, there is a feeling of heightened levels of energy, creativity and euphoria. Next is hypomania which is a less severe form of mania. Patients in this state experience a euphoric and energetic feeling without losing touch with reality. The third state is the depression state which is categorized by feelings of irritability, guilt, and unpredictable mood swings. A mixed episode is the last phase. It has features of all the other symptoms but poses a much higher risk of suicide for sufferers.

Bipolar disorder symptoms are most often unpredictable and vary from one person to another. Bipolar medications are important in managing the disease and keeping it from ruining a persons life especially since it can occur at any time.

The More Popular Medication

Bipolar is primarily a form of chemical imbalance in the brain. Managing its symptoms would mean establishing equilibrium with the chemical synthesis that occurs in the brain. Here are some of the bipolar symptoms and bipolar medication:

Tricyclics, monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) and lithium are commonly used anti-depressants used to manage depressive bipolar symptoms. However, lithium is more widely used because of its ability to even out mood swings and prevent manic attacks and flare-ups.

Anticonvulsants, or medications to treat seizures, are also used as mood stabilizers. They are prescribed to people who do not benefit from lithium or who are not safe to take lithium medications.

To treat and manage bipolar early, antipsychotic medication is used. This is especially handy when other types of medication do not work.

Benzodiazepines and calcium channel blockers are some other medications.

Medications do not cure

Bipolar Medication is one of the available psycho therapeutic medications that help control bipolar symptoms. They are used to correct and compensate for the malfunction in the body caused by the disease. In this light, they do not hold the key to actually treating bipolar disorders but they can help ensure that the patients adjust and benefit from his chosen methods of psychotherapy. Hence, thoroughly monitor and religiously take bipolar symptoms and medication that will effectively lead the patients on the road towards recovery.

The definition of Bipolar disorder or bipolar disease is that of a person that has one or more episodes of abnormally manic or elevated moods. It is a mood disorder suffered by numerous people. It is followed by symptoms and depressive episodes. Bipolar disease also causes a person to experience mood swings quickly. Mixed episodes are where they experience both extremes at once and this is not uncommon.

Bipolar Disorder Types

There are several different bipolar disease types. First of all, and most commonly, a person will have mood swings that cause them to experience very high moods - or manic episodes. During these phases of their bipolar disease, they will feel as if they can do anything, and they will often rush from one thing to another, in extremely happy frames of mind. They make rash decisions while in these states, and often do things that they would not normally do while they are manic.

In the second of the bipolar disease types, the person experiences these manic episodes, but also experiences periods of depression that are intermingled with them. Most of the time, people with this bipolar disease type will find that they are moving between episodes of extreme happiness and extreme depression quite often.

A Mixed Episode

The third is known as a mixed episode. They will find that they are experiencing both the manic and depressive states at the same time. It will cause them to feel quite agitated and confused. They will be torn between being manic and happy and still showing signs of depression.

Problems with Bipolar Disorder

A disrupted life is the biggest problem and symptom for anyone with bipolar. It can be quite difficult for them to make and keep relationships, they find themselves alternating between excessive sleeping and not being able to get enough sleep. They are simply not able to exist in the same world as everyone else.

Also, many relationships are strained when a person has bipolar disease. Because of the abrupt and swift changes in mood, a person with bipolar is often drawn to people who are at either end of the spectrum when it comes to moods of their own. They are often hard to deal with, irrational and upsetting to those around them. This, in turn, causes people to pull away from them, which end up causing more bouts of depression.

Treatment

Although it is often something that runs in families, it can be treated with the proper types of drug therapies. Because bipolar disease is caused by inconsistencies in brain function, correcting the function of the brain is the best way to begin dealing with bipolar disease, and this can be done through medication.

Even though it may be a serious matter, bipolar disorder is treatable. It is part of a growing list of mental disorders that have become quite common these days. It affects a persons vocational and social development. Also due to the serious psychological symptoms, the disorder can cause a change in a persons behavior. There is in excess of 2 million people in the US alone living with bipolar disorder. Bipolar is not only confined to adults today but also to children. It maybe common in late adolescence and early adulthood but it is not uncommon in children.

How common is Bipolar in Children?

Though the diagnosis of bipolar in children is considered controversial and rare, according to studies it is estimated that 0.3% to 0.5% of children under the age of ten are affected with bipolar. However, some argue this finding. There has been an increase of over 40-fold from the year 1994 to the year 2003 and it still continues to rise. Other recent studies also suggest that bipolar can strike as early as the age of seven years old .A staggering number compared to previous years.

Bipolar in Young People

The peak years for bipolar is during late adolescence and early adulthood. When people experience bipolar during this time of their lives, it can severely disrupt them because this is usually during the critical stage of their lives. This is the period where the development of vocational and social aspects of a young adults life is most important. About 2.6 percent of people who age 18 years and older suffer from bipolar illness in any given year.

There is a difference in the symptoms of bipolar in adults compared to children. This presents a diagnostic challenge to the professionals in the field of mental health. Unlike the predictable patterns and nature of bipolar symptoms, bipolar disorder children most often exhibit explosive outbursts and irritable moods. They also experience the cycles of manic-depression far more rapidly compared to adult cases.

Bipolar in children is most of the time overlooked because some of the symptoms are close to those of mental disorders such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder or ADHD. It has even been recorded that bipolar can even co-exist with ADHD.

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.

It is important to have some knowledge of bipolar disorder because of the possible cases that may cause bipolar to be overlooked. This is really serious because bipolar has even lead many to committing suicide. Bipolar disorder has a good prognosis and can easily be treated if done early and with proper management.