Bipolar II Disorder and Teenagers

by Ayurvedic-Medicine Wendy s Changing Behavior Wendy was a charismatic, high-school junior with sandy blonde hair and blue eyes. She was an athleti

Bipolar Disorder Dsm Is Bipolar Hereditary

by Ayurvedic-Medicine

Wendy's Changing Behavior

Wendy was a charismatic, high-school junior with sandy blonde hair and blue eyes. She was an athletic young woman who loved sports, drama and music. Her friends described her as a person with high energy, drive and a wide circle of friends. Her friend Alicia said "Wow, she has the energy of two people." However, Wendy seemed to be changing, and her friends were beginning to find her annoying. They thought she seemed depressed, and they wondered if she had family problems. Alicia remarked, "I don't get it, one week she's so revved, and a week later she's as slow as a turtle."

Wendy had been staying up late for two weeks, whizzing through various projects and spending time on Facebook and YouTube. She had a variety of hobbies that included fashion design and baking. She loved designing new apparel and writing articles about her recipes for the school newspaper. She felt positive and abundantly energetic, and her projects kept her busy into the wee hours of the morning. She usually went to bed around 3 a.m. and would wake up at 7 a.m. feeling energized for her day at school.

Sometimes Wendy felt like chatting in the middle of the night and would call her best friend, Phillip, at 2 a.m. This behavior seemed rude and intrusive to him, but when he tried to talk to her about the problem, she was hard to interrupt, and didn't seem to be listening. Wendy was experiencing racing thoughts and some mood swings, and her friends couldn't understand what was going on.She was not particularly aware of these changes, but she loved her extra energy. There was another subtle change that annoyed her friends - Wendy became boastful, thinking she had skills beyond her abilities.

She told Phillip that she was going to bring fame to her hometown by winning at the state tennis match being held in St. Cloud, Minnesota. Tennis had been part of Wendy's life since she was in elementary school, and now she was a top player on the Minneapolis Mavericks. Her net game had improved, but hard work was necessary to excel in her overall game.Wendy had a good serve and felt that her backhand stroke was strong, and she was in the best aerobic condition ever because she lifted weights, ran on her mother's treadmill and took Zumba classes. She was superconfident that she would win against the top-seeded player, and she came across as boastful when she said, "I'll show her tennis she hasn't seen before - I'm going to blow her out of the water."Although Wendy had always been good at winning matches against local teams, she had never played at the state level, yet she reveled in her self-confidence.

A History of Anxiety and Depression

Wendy had not always felt self-confident. When she was about 12 years old, she started struggling with anxiety and depression. She had some sleep problems, and she occasionally felt down, restless and agitated. For some people, feeling agitated can be a way to mask an inner emptiness. Sometimes Wendy had bad dreams in which she was being chased by someone scary or searching for something she couldn't find.

After Wendy turned 13, she began to have days when she felt sluggish and didn't have her normal interest in her many activities. Although she had a lot of energy, Wendy had down days when she didn't feel like doing much. Sometimes, while she was working on a project, she would suddenly space out and vaguely sense that inner emptiness again. Her mother said it seemed like Wendy was "somewhere else."

Problems sleeping, agitation, lethargy, down days and a feeling of emptiness are a few of the behavior patterns that are common among teenagers with both bipolar II and/or depressive conditions. At this point it was unclear what condition Wendy had - her symptoms could be red flags for an emerging bipolar II condition or a more serious depression, and either can exist simultaneously with an anxiety disorder. A complete assessment is necessary to accurately target what disorder may be emerging. The emptiness and sluggish days can be part of the depressive side of bipolar; it is common for teenagers with bipolar to start out with depressive symptoms although some teens start out by experiencing the elevated energy that is the high side of bipolar.

When she was about 14, Wendy was getting worse and finally talked to her mother about her behaviors and feelings. Her mother was worried and took her to see a relationship therapist who had a good reputation with teens. With some professional help, Wendy was able to learn positive coping skills and manage her symptoms well, as many can. She learned to regularly relax and take necessary quiet time. She continued to exercise daily, which greatly helped with her depression and helped manage her agitation. Additionally, she was in a support group where she made friends with others who had mental health challenges. Wendy made it a habit to go to bed at the same time each night and wake up at the same time each morning to help regulate her sleep. She also made sure to get eight hours of sleep. She still had sleep issues but felt generally rested during the day.

Bipolar Disorder Symptoms Causes Treatment Remedies Types Information ...

Understanding Bipolar II Disorder and its Manifestation on Teenagers

... symptom 3: anxiety - Depression in Bipolar Disorder - Health.com

... " And Her BPD, Bipolar II, and Panic Disorder Panic About Anxiety

Source : http://imentalhealth.net/mental-health-disorders/mood-disorders/bipolar-ii-disorder-and-teenagers

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Commonly question about Bipolar II Disorder and Teenagers

Question :

What s the difference between Bipolar II Disorder and normal teen moodiness?

I ve read a lot about Bipolar II and I m pretty sure I have it..
But I m 16, and don t all teenagers go through things similar to depression and hypomania?
Is Bipolar II just an excuse for moody teens to get on medication, or is there a difference?

I m sorry if that didn t make sense.. I m just not sure how else to word it.

Answer :
There is a huge difference between teen moodiness and Bipolar Disorder. The moods in Bipolar disorder are not about quickly changing emotions.... it s not that "I was happy a minute ago now I m pissed" thing. The moods in Bipolar Disorder last for months or even years..... Typically in Bipolar2 a person will be deeply depressed for months then have a couple fo days or weeks of hypomania before becoming depressed again. The depression is very deep and debilitating. Hypomania is not just being happy and hyper..... during hypomania they may not be able to sleep more than a couple fo hours a night if at all..... their sex drive goes into overdrive, they become very focused and productive, may spend lots of money on meaningless purchases..... Sometimes hypomania can be dysphoric or angry and the person may experience intense rage..... But it is no way like the quickfire emotional changes that are typical of teenagers dealing with hormones..... I think a lot of people would like to have the excuse of being Bipolar to excuse poor behavior but it isn t. Spend some time on a bipolar forum and see what they talk about... then maybe you will understand the difference.

Question :

Can bipolar disorder II start out mild?

I m 20 years old, in my sophomore year of college. So, I tried to commit suicide by overdosing---something that could have possibly been done during a hypomanic episode. (I thought suicide would be a fun game of Russian roulette. I didn t necessarily want to die--I just wanted to see what would happen.)

They diagnosed me as having bipolar II. My friends and family all seem to think I have it. However, I don t find my bipolar disorder to be that severe. Of course, I m also young and don t have near the facilities to do what I d actually like to do on what I label as manic phases.

I ve gone through having OCD as a child, then I was labeled with generalized anxiety disorder as a teenager--not sure if that was right--then I was labeled as depressed, which I suspect isn t right either---and now I m labeled as bipolar II. As a general rule of thumb, I become extremely energetic, hypersexual, and desperate for excitement at night. I love taking long drives. If fantasize about driving off and taking a random trip. I get pissy at people and just snap. At times, I would scope out Craig s list, hoping to lose my virginity to a stranger to feel like I m alive. I want to do stupid stuff to amuse me--just for the strangeness of it---like being videotaped pulling somebody s socks off with my teeth. I like to dress slutty at every party I go to---for the thrill of it, not to get laid. At the same time, I can become insecure in a snap. Still, I feel this overwhelming sense of pleasure in my head, mixed in with this hot hostility. It s wonderful, and I m a LOT more creative at this times. I wouldn t necessarily say I m productive. And I self-medicate by binge eating. I ve been doing that to feed my feelings since middle school, though---it s just gotten a lot more intense. (I ve gained 40 lbs in the span of about 4-5 months.) I ve always been a responsible kid--and I ve only recently started making over-the-top choices. I ve always been excessive, but except for blowouts, I ve had a pretty good sense of self-control. I m an honors student and decided to skip a Spanish test because I didn t care about it. That s really off for me.

It s just become more intense recently. In high school, I would have depressed times, crazy times, and I d have mind-blowing, over-the-top happy times. In my freshman year, I just remember always being depressed. Idk if I had any manic episodes, just because I don t remember much. I do remember being rather angry.

This year--my mind has changed a lot. It s a whole different thing. I m just wondering if they misdiagnosed more or what. I don t go out banging ten guys in a day and I don t spend thousands of dollars in a day. I don t use cocaine or anything like that---I binge, smoke some maryjane, and drink a little bit.

I m so tired of being confused.

Answer :
It can start out mild but left untreated can get to the chronic stage.
You shouldn t be self medicating, dope will make you worse, it will make each episode more extreme. Sounds good if you are in the manic phrase but its disastrous in the depressive phrase.
Take your medication religiously if on it, if not get medical help

Source(s):

My brother who has been diagnosed with bi - polar will not accept treatment but self medicates with alcohol and dope and he gets worse by the year. His life is one big rollercoaster.

Question :

How old do you have to be in order to be diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder 2?

I am a teenager, but my Aunt who has study Pyschology for a few years, does say it s possible I have Bipolar Disorder II. I shrugged it off because my dad was in the room and he swears he was tested and that s he s not Bipolar (considering it being hereditary) he swears I m not. Expect his father, and all of his uncles and aunts (5) have Bipolar Disorder. I was just wondering how old you have to be to be diagnosed? And is there a way to get tested without parental consent?

Answer :
There is no age limit when being diagnosed however most doctors would be hesitant to diagnose someone under 18 due to the many other reasons around teenage years that can cause similar symptoms. Also just because your father doesn t have it doesn t mean you won t - things like this can skip generations or maybe your dad lied to his psych there are many reasons, I don t think you can get seen without parental consent though, if you are under 18 :S im not sure though. I advise you to see a doctor - better safe than sorry! Best of luck to ya!