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Bipolar Disorder  in Teenagers

As hot summer days wane down and cool evening breezes of fall slowly begin to surface, families all over begin to prepare for their teenagers to return to school. But rather than bask in the thought of quiet peaceful vacant homes, fear begins to emerge as increasing numbers of parents readily recall that their adolescent has the most tumultuous days during the school year. Parents are often faced with the harsh reality that it is during these school months that their teenager with bipolar disorder has struggled the most in the past. Yes, one of the biggest challenges for the teenager with Bipolar Disorder is attending school. So for the parents of bipolar adolescents how do they cope and what options are before them regarding treatment during these school months?

Definition
Bipolar disorder also commonly referred to as manic depressive disorder, affects approximately 1 percent of the adolescent population between 14-18 years of age. It is marked by extreme fluctuations in mood that ranges in episodes of deep depression to episodes of intense mania. It is rare that bipolar disorder occurs without the presence of any other mental health disorders. Some of the various conditions that are commonly linked to bipolar include substance abuse, anxiety, academic problems, eating disorders, social problems and self injury (cutting).

Treatment/Solution
Many parents find the dilemma of living with a teenager with raging hormones, compounded by bipolar disorder and other possible co-occurring disorders nearly impossible to deal with. How is a parent to survive? While the adolescent with bipolar is cycling out of control, there are a number of interventions that parents can utilize that have a profound effect on the teenager.

1. Medications: There are several medications that can be used to treat some of the bipolar symptoms. A few basic tips for medications include, avoid anti-depressants as they may cause a manic reaction, combine psychotherapy with the medication regime, consider natural homeopathic methods and continue good contact with the treating psychiatrist to address side effects and dose instructions are strongly recommended.

2. Residential treatment: the intense treatment offered at the residential level of care has been known to make a significant impact for the bipolar adolescent. Residential treatment that offers academic instruction allows the teenager to address their emotional challenges while simultaneously continuing to acquire academic credits. Specific issues such as eating impairments sleep impairments, drug use, and self injurious behaviors can also be addressed within residential treatment. Furthermore, structured daily living skills, along with psychotherapy and family therapy can have a marked influence on the adolescent diagnosed with bipolar disorder.