According to the World Health Organization (WHO), bipolar disease and adolescent bipolar disorder is considered the sixth leading cause of disability in the world. The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry confirms that a staggering number of 3.4 million children and adolescents suffering from depression in the United States may actually be experiencing early-onset of bipolar disorder. Bipolar disease and adolescent bipolar disorder is now a psychiatric illness that was discovered to cause major disruptions in lifestyle and health.

Probable Causes of Adolescent Bipolar

Bipolar disorder is primarily caused by a chemical imbalance within the brain. For the brain to control emotions, perform decision making tasks and control physical activities, it needs to be stimulated by these neurotransmitters. A chemical imbalance would mean serious physiological as well as psychological problems. A substantial rise and fall of these neurotransmitters, particularly the norepinephrine, to the normal levels may cause bipolar disorder. The role of genetics is also an accounted cause of the disease. Children of parents suffering from the disorder are of high risk of manifesting symptoms of bipolar disease types. However, the disease would not occur just because of a single gene but because of multiple genetic combinations as well as environmental factors that promote the onset of the bipolar disease and adolescent bipolar symptoms. Also, experiencing a period of emotional stress, drug use, illness and other events can trigger bipolar symptoms. Children suffering from anxiety disorders are highly likely to develop bipolar disorder.

Signs and Symptoms

The adolescent bipolar disorder is primarily characterized by intense mood episodes. The symptoms of the disease are generally classified into three phases. The manic phase are generally described by symptoms such as feeling unusually happy and silly, short temper, talking very fast about a lot of subjects, trouble sleeping, difficulty to maintain focus and fondness of doing risky things. Children and teens who manifest depressive episodes were observed to feel very sad, often complain about pain, sleep to little or too much, feel guilty and worthless, suffer eating disorders, lose interest of the things the they used to like and think about death and suicide a lot. The mixed episode refers to the mood episodes that exhibit both the symptoms of the manic and depressive bipolar phases.

Treatment available for Adolescent Bipolar Disorder

Adolescent bipolar disorder is in fact curable. The key to effectively treating the disease is immediate diagnosis and proper treatment plan. It is crucial for children and teens that are showing signs of changes in personality due to extreme moodiness, manifest symptoms of depression along with eating disorders, severe mood swings and suicidal tendencies to be subjected to a recommended treatment plan fast. To treat bipolar disorder, patients are put under certain medications and advised to go under therapy. In terms of medication, children may need to take more than one drug depending on the complexity of their bipolar condition. The kind of therapy or psychotherapy designed for children and teens is often called talk therapy were they are coached to manage their symptoms and deal with their disease.

Helping your Child

The early-onset bipolar disorder, the bipolar disorder developed by children, can be more severe than those experienced by older teens and adults. They are more likely to manifest intense mood swings than that observed from adults suffering the disease. The episodes of mood shifts can last for days, weeks, months, years or even in a lifetime. Because of the extreme and often risky behavior elicited by the disease, it is imperative that parents take the proactive role in facing and understanding the nature of early-onset bipolar disorder.