Bipolar disorder, also known as manic depression, is a severe mental illness that currently affects nearly 2.6% (roughly one-million) of American teens.
Bipolar disorder symptoms are characterized by dramatic mood-swings that range from highs (otherwise known as mania) and lows (otherwise known as depression).
Manic depression, also known as bipolar disorder, involves experiencing extreme mood swings from high to low.
Living with a mental illness, statistics and mental health reports show that children and teens with undiagnosed or untreated bipolar disorder can have lifelong or even fatal consequences. Seeing as how the third leading cause of death among teens is suicide.
Parents of children diagnosed with bipolar disorder, often regarded as one of the most intense and emotionally unstable mental conditions impacting teenagers today, should prioritize seeking treatment. This condition, also known as manic depression, should be their foremost concern.
After all, adolescents are a demographic that is already naturally at a disadvantage regarding living with a mental health condition as severe as manic depression. As to why teens particularly struggle with the throes of mental illness the answer is perhaps said best by using their own words:
“ being a teenager kind of sucks a lot of the time.”
– Every Honest Teen Ever
Considering teenagers biologically face multitudes of severe physical and hormonal changes and are forced to face new and personally unprecedented responsibilities. In addition to the fact that the impulse-governing part of their brain isn’t yet fully developed, it really should come as no surprise as to why teens have such difficulty navigating the formidable and all-too-grown-up emotional and psychologically-burdening symptoms of mental illness.
As we all know from our own personal experiences, the dramatically transformative time of adolescence is an emotionally taxing and even terrifying one. A phase in life that most wouldn’t argue is one of the most arduous transitioning phases we ever face in our lifetimes.
That is why teens, who are just a few short years removed from not being old enough to sit independently of their last car seat, are all of a sudden thrust into the high-stakes, intimidatingly complex, and (if we’re being completely honest) terrifying world of pre-adulthood.
While experts do not have a definitive explanation for how or why bipolar disorder is developed, they do, in fact, explain that there are factors that almost assuredly contribute to the development of this particularly complex and somewhat misunderstood neurological illness.
First off on our list is the most prevalently known contributing factor to bipolar disorder, AKA family genes. What’s more, genetic inheritance is almost always a contributing factor when it comes to manic depression. Consequently, it is for this reason that bipolar diagnosed-parents should be wary and observant of their own child as it is highly likely their child is either currently, or eventually will become, manically depressed themselves.
However, it should also be stated that a parent’s personal diagnosis does not guarantee their child will suffer from bipolar disorder as well. Still, if bipolar disorder runs in the family it is critical for parents to pay close attention to their child’s behavior, emotional state, and their moods. If a parent notices extreme changes, such as highs and lows, in their child’s otherwise healthy demeanor, it could be (or likely is) due to bipolar disorder-related symptoms.
Another potential developmental factor can be found in the structure of the brain. Scientists are finding more breakthroughs related to bipolar disorder each and every year by exhaustively researching and studying the neurological disorder.
Fortunately, this exhaustive research may one day help researchers and behavioral scientists find a cure for bipolar disorder, outright. Also, this research may help doctors to predict whether a person will get bipolar disorder. One day, doctors may even be able to prevent the illness in some people.
For adults living with bipolar disorder, life can be immensely frustrating and difficult at times. Be that as it may, attempting to delicately balance on the tightrope-like, razor-thin margins that are the manic and depressive moods of bipolar disorder in children is even more daunting and, if left untreated, downright dangerous, for teenagers live with on their own.
In light of this illuminating notion, it is critical that parents are able to recognize potential symptoms that could be indicative of a bipolar disorder diagnosis. By further understanding the potential signs of an untreated bipolar-diagnosis, parents of manically depressed youth will be more able to ensure not only the safety of their impulsive and emotionally volatile child but also, they will greatly improve their child’s likelihood of overcoming – or at the very least learn how to properly manage – their severe, brain illness.
The following is a list comprised of potential warning signs that could indicate a child may be suffering from an undiagnosed case of manic depression.
Potential Symptoms or “Warning Signs” of Bipolar Disorder in Teens:
To find out how Turning Winds can help provide a treatment plan for your teen struggling to manage their bipolar disorder, please Contact Us: 800-845-1380
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