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Bipolar is one of the most severe forms of mental illness. People who have this disease are constantly having episodes of ‘highs’ (periods of complete euphoria) and ‘lows’ (a deep inconsolable depression). Among these patients, many have reported trying to commit suicide and 15% succeeded in completing the act. It is the third leading cause of death among people aged 15-24 and remains the 6th leading cause of disability for people aged 15-44. Bipolar 1 is a lifelong disease that runs also in families. About 1/2 of all patients have had one parent who’s experienced a mood disorder, usually a major depressive disorder in their life. If a parent has Bipolar 1, it’s a 25% likely chance, that their child will develop a mood disorder.

After doing much research on the subject of Bipolar, I was distracted by the fact that in a study done by Children’s Hospital in Wisconsin, they found that in 80% of cases of Bipolar patients, those children had been diagnosed with ADHD, or more commonly known as, Attention -Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. This at first sickened me, because when I registered my son for first grade, the teacher’s had informed me that they thought he had ADHD. But, when I went outside the classroom, so they could talk to him more, there were about 13 other parents whose teachers had also told them this We decided that with ADHD being a new disorder, they were going to label so many kids wrong this. We as the parents, dismissed the teachers allegations as being paranoid, and went on with our lives. My son was diagnosed with Bipolar1 in his middle 20’s. He spent a better part of 15 years going undiagnosed. Through his teen years, we just thought he was acting out as teenagers do. That is now the biggest regret of my life.

That is why, we are going to delve into any and every symptom, treatment, and diagnosis of this disease. We need to be knowledgeable in this subject so that we can ask the right questions, realize the symptoms, and get the right treatment. Knowledge is power and we need to take control.

The symptoms for children include irritability, increased energy, and aggression. The most prominent symptoms will be that of euphoria-(a person who is happy, is happy. A person with Bipolar takes that happy to a level up about 10 decimals to being grandiosity) They experience a decreased need for sleep, pressured speech and distractability. With children, the manic is mostly chronic (happens constantly) rather than adults who experience their mania through episodes.

When adults are found to be Bipolar, it is usually the patient’s first admission to the hospital. It may have been a suicide attempt that prompted physicians to follow-up with this patient’s records. According to the Department of Psychology in Denmark, when a patient has their first manic attack, it is usually associated with a major stressful event in their life, like the death of a family member, divorce, a job loss. In adults, the manic attacks are generally more episodic with elevations of mood and increased energy levels. When doctor’s are determining what a patient’s condition is, they know they need to recognize Bipolar from alot of the other disorders that resemble the same symptoms.

There is no alienation of race or age from this disease. It affects both sexes equally. A person may have his first manic episode at any age. But usually, more than 90% of people with Bipolar 1 who’ve experienced one episode, will surely have more in the future. If a person goes untreated, they can have as many as 8-10 episodes in their entire lifetime. A person can go about 5 years before having their second episode, but then they start getting them more frequently. An episode generally begins abruptly but can last anywhere between 2 weeks and 4-5 months. Manic episodes can quickly escalate to where it will destroy that persons career or reputation, put distance among family members, and even destroy relationships. It is vital that when a person is seeing a doctor for this, that the doctor be fully aware of how their episodes escalate so that he can place the patient in the hospital before anything damaging can happen.

The best recoveries achieved, are when a person is diagnosed correctly, realizes that it is a lifelong disease and is prepared to adopt a healthy lifestyle with no alcohol or drugs. They maintain taking medications such as a mood stabilizer combined with an anti-depressant, get regular therapy, sleep regularly, learns to trust the warning signs given by family and friends. They too, need to learn as much as possible about this illness from therapists, the internet, books and self-help groups. A patient may not be able to control the gravity of their episodes, but through proper medication’s and lifestyle, they can control the quality of life they choose.
I currently write on my blog any and all information about this disease. With my son being diagnosed years after he showed signs, I want everyone to know what to watch out for, that it might just not be your teen lashing out. Families need to know what those signs are, the treatment available, and all information related to this disorder so that they are able to make a wise decision.