Raising a bipolar teen may prove to be a challenge especially if you do not know whether or not he is bipolar. You may be asking yourself the question: is my teen bipolar? In order to know whether your teen is bipolar or not there are some symptoms that you need to look for. For starters it is very important to know that bipolar teens usually have a combination of manic (extremely high) and depressed (low) moods. Such moods usually alternate or even at times feel a combination of manic and depressed feelings at almost the same time. The bipolar syndrome mostly affects people in the adult stage but not above 35. As much as it occurs in children it is quite rare among them. Such mood variations usually make it very hard for parents to raise a bipolar teen. Bipolar teen symptoms usually differ according to whether it is manic or depressed. Signs of a bipolar teen suffering from manic moods include: Mood changes that are quite severe compared to other aged the same and come from a similar background with him. The teen may appear to be excessively happy or silly and at times irritating. Always unrealistically high with self-esteem. Increasingly talkative as well as keeps changing topics very fast. The teen is easily distracted as he keeps moving from one point to another. Keeps taking risks thinking he will not be harmed. Signs of a bipolar teen suffering from depressed moods include: Sadness that is persistent as well as crying all the time. Lack of interest in his favorite activities. Frequently complaining of pains mostly headaches and stomachaches. Exhibits poor concentration tendencies as well as bore dome and low energy levels. Sleeping and eating patterns are changed. He may oversleep or overeat. Parenting a bipolar teen may be a challenge especially due to the fact that they tend to display characters that are similar to teenagers that have other problems including drug abuse, schizophrenia and delinquency. It is therefore important that as a parent of a bipolar teen to find professional help for you to be able to understand your teen so as not to be in a position to make any mistakes. Such a diagnosis can only be done by a competent doctor as well as a child and adolescent psychologist. Living with a bipolar teen may also prove irritating at times especially for the siblings hence they need to be enlightened on their sibling's condition for them to be able to understand the bipolar teen within the family or class. Bipolar teens can get effective treatment to try and correct their conditions. Medication such as lithium and also being exposed to psychotherapy will help very much in ensuring that the teen is relieved from bipolar disorder. The lithium in most cases helps in the reduction of the amount and severity of the episodes as well as prevent manic and depression episodes. Psychotherapy also helps the bipolar teenager understand himself better and even adapt to stresses and even be able to improve their relationships as well as help them rebuild their self-esteem.
