Does My Child or Teen Have Bipolar Disorder?

Posted On: 05/28/2024

Children and teenagers have a wide range of experiences鈥攁nd that leads to a wide range of moods.

As they grow, young people must learn to manage changes in their bodies, hormone variations, school and social stress, and many other life events. In response, it is normal for them to feel happy, sad, angry, excited, irritated, inspired, and other emotions.

For people with bipolar disorder, shifts in moods, activity levels, energy, and thinking are extreme. Bipolar disorder may also be called 鈥渕anic depression.鈥� It usually starts in the late teens, but can happen earlier or later.

This mental illness usually presents with extreme 鈥渉ighs and lows鈥� that can be difficult to manage and cause challenges for your child鈥檚 relationships and functioning at home, work, and school.

These high or low states might end within a day or two, or continue for weeks or months.

What is bipolar mania, or 鈥渉ighs?鈥�

When a person has mania, or is in a 鈥渕anic phase,鈥� they may seem to have too much energy. A child or teenager with mania might:

Do risky things they normally wouldn鈥檛, like ride their bikes too fast or use drugs.
Believe they can do something, like play an instrument, that they cannot do.
Sleep very little without feeling tired.
Speak very fast and jump from topic to topic.
Have racing thoughts.
Become irritated or annoyed easily.
Try to do too many things at once.

What is bipolar depression, or 鈥渓ows?鈥�

When children or teens have bipolar disorder, they might experience symptoms of depression for several weeks or months before and/or after manic episodes.

Some signs of depression include:

Avoiding friends or family, or activities they usually enjoy.
Feeling very low energy.
Poor grooming compared to normal habits.
Feeling worthless.
Having trouble focusing at school.
Not being able to sleep, or sleeping too much.
Low or not appetite, or overeating.
Thinking about killing themselves.

Some young people might have minor 鈥渓ows鈥� with periods of normal moods in between mania and depression. Others have symptoms of mania and depression at the same time.

What causes bipolar disorder?

Like other mental illnesses, bipolar disorder often runs in families. If you discuss your child鈥檚 symptoms with their doctor, be sure to mention any close relatives who have been diagnosed with it or other mental health conditions.

Also, your child might have a disorder that has similar symptoms but is not actually bipolar disorder. These include:

Thyroid disorder
Anxiety
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
Substance use disorder

It鈥檚 important to discuss symptoms with your treatment providers so they can identify the right diagnosis and treatment options.

How is bipolar disorder treated?

The good news is that bipolar disorder can be managed successfully. It is usually a lifelong illness, but people with the disorder can have happy, normal lives if they follow their care plan. To make sure your child has the best outcome possible, early intervention and treatment are critical.

Some of the treatments are: