If you have a teen or child who is a young adult and they're struggling with mood swings or substance abuse, you may want to have them evaluated for bipolar disorder. This mental health condition often appears in the late teen to early adult years, and it can make life very difficult for your teen and your entire family. A behavioral health care professional can help your child learn to manage this condition so your child can complete school and be successful in a job. Here are some of the signs and treatments for bipolar disorder.
Signs Your Child May Be Bipolar
Mood swings are common in people with bipolar disorder, and sometimes the swings can be extreme. Your child may be impulsive, hyper, excitable, and unable to control their behavior during a manic phase and then become lethargic, disinterested, and depressed during the down days. Other behavior traits can be making bad decisions and engaging in addictive behaviors with drugs and food. Your child may have sleep disorders and even suffer from psychosis due to their condition.
Symptoms can be mild or severe and they can change over time. Bipolar is a lifelong condition, and your goal will be managing symptoms so your child can lead a productive and fulfilling life.
Treatments That Might Help Bipolar Disorder
If you suspect your child has this problem, you should take them to a behavioral health care professional who can make an accurate diagnosis and begin helpful treatment. In addition, you may want to learn as much as you can about the condition so you can provide emergency help and support when it's needed since your child may engage in risky behaviors, such as abusing drugs, or even try to commit suicide.
Your child's therapist may try different medications to help relieve the symptoms of bipolar disorder. These drugs might include medications to treat insomnia or anxiety as well as antidepressants, antipsychotics, and mood stabilizers. Finding the right drug or combination of drugs may take time, and during that time, your child needs to take the medications as instructed and avoid mixing them with street drugs and alcohol.
The therapist may also teach your child coping mechanisms and offer psychotherapy. These forms of behavioral therapy can teach your child to recognize mood swings and then implement strategies that control impulsive and destructive behaviors. Talk therapy can also help your child deal with anxiety, depression, and trauma.
Talk therapy and medications along with improvements in lifestyle such as having a sleep schedule, eating a healthy diet, and exercising can help control the severity of the mood swings and maybe even prevent them in the future. However, treatment is a lifelong process that your child needs to adhere to or the old symptoms of disruptive behavior, depressive episodes, manic behavior, and psychosis might return.
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