I think that i am bipolar...?
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One of the main symptoms of bipolar disorder is irritability. It can be accompanied by a wide variety of symptoms which include but are not limited to grandiosity, Feelings of great superiority, and sometimes even losing touch with reality and having delusions in severe cases. Making irrational choices is another symptom. Anonymous risky sexual behavior is another. I would suggest you talk to a trusted family member or school counselor. Young people are being diagnosed earlier and earlier these daysMany children and especially adolescents experience mood swings as a normal part of growing up, but when these feelings persist and begin to interfere with a child’s ability to function in daily life, bipolar disorder could be the cause. Bipolar disorder, also known as manic-depression, is a type of mood disorder marked by extreme changes in mood, energy levels and behavior.
Symptoms can begin in early childhood but more typically emerge in adolescence or adulthood. Until recently, young people were rarely diagnosed with this disorder. Yet up to one-third of the 3.4 million children and adolescents with depression in the United States may actually be experiencing the early onset of bipolar disorder according to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Doctors now recognize and treat the disorder in both children and adolescents, but it is still an under-recognized illness.
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Children with bipolar disorder usually alternate rapidly between extremely high moods (mania) and low moods (depression). These rapid mood shifts can produce irritability with periods of wellness between episodes, or the young person may feel both extremes at the same time. Parents who have children with the disorder often describe them as unpredictable, alternating between aggressive or silly and withdrawn. Children with bipolar disorder are at a greater risk for anxiety disorders and Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). These "co-occurring" disorders complicate diagnosis of bipolar disorder and contribute to the lack of recognition of the illness in children.[i]
What Are the Signs and Symptoms?
Bipolar disorder begins with either manic or depressive symptoms. The lists below provide possible signs and symptoms. Not all children with bipolar disorder have all symptoms. Like children with depression, children with bipolar disorder are likely to have a family history of the illness. If a child you know is struggling with any combination of these symptoms for more than two weeks, talk with a doctor or mental health professional.
Manic Symptoms
Severe changes in mood—from unusually happy or silly to irritable, angry or aggressive.
Unrealistic highs in self-esteem. May feel indestructible or believe he or she can fly, for example.
Great increase in energy level. Sleeps little without being tired.
Excessive involvement in multiple projects and activities. May move from one thing to the next and become easily distracted.
Increase in talking. Talks too much, too fast, changes topics too quickly, and cannot be interrupted. This may be accompanied by racing thoughts or feeling pressure to keep talking.
Risk-taking behavior such as abusing drugs and alcohol, attempting daredevil stunts, or being sexually active or having unprotected sex.
Depressive Symptoms
Frequent sadness or crying.
Withdrawal from friends and activities.
Decreased energy level, lack of enthusiasm or motivation.
Feelings of worthlessness or excessive guilt.
Extreme sensitivity to rejection or failure.
Major changes in habits such as over-sleeping or over-eating.
Frequent physical complaints such as headaches and stomachaches.
Recurring thoughts of death, suicide, or self-destructive behavior.
Many teens with bipolar disorder abuse alcohol and drugs as a way to feel better and escape. Any child or adolescent who abuses substances should be evaluated for a mental health disorder. If an addiction develops, it is essential to treat both the mental health disorder and the substance abuse problem at the same time.
What Should Parents and Caregivers Do?
Early identification, diagnosis, and treatment help children reach their full potential. Bipolar disorder is treatable. Children who exhibit signs of bipolar disorder should be referred to and evaluated by a mental health professional who specializes in treating children. The evaluation may include consultation with a child psychiatrist, psychological testing, and medical tests to rule out an underlying physical condition that might explain the child’s symptoms. A comprehensive treatment plan should include psychotherapy and, in most cases, medication. This plan should be developed with the family, and, whenever possible, the child should be involved in making treatment decisions.
Children’s mental health matters! To learn more, talk to a doctor or mental health professional, contact your local Mental Health Association or access the resources below:
National Mental Health Association, 800-969-NMHA, www.nmha.org
American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, www.aacap.org
American Psychiatric Association, 888-357-7924, www.psych.org
American Psychological Association, 800-964-2000, www.apa.org
Children and Adults with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, 800-233-4050, www.chadd.org
Child and Adolescent Bipolar Foundation, 847-256-8525, www.bpkids.org
Federation of Families for Children’s Mental Health, 703-684-7710, www.ffcmh.org
Knowledge Exchange Network, 800-789-2647, www.mentalhealth.org
National Association of School Psychologists, 301-657-0270, www.nasponline.org
Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance, 800-826-3632, www.ndmda.org
Children’s Mental Health Matters is an initiative of the National Mental Health Association’s Campaign for America’s Mental Health. This nationwide public education campaign is supported by a coalition of national organizations and state and local Mental Health Associations and their partners. Through this program, NMHA, its affiliates and partners offer educational materials for children and their families on a variety of topics including anxiety disorders, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, bipolar disorder and childhood depression, and mental wellness.
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[i] "Childhood-onset Bipolar Disorder: Under-diagnosed, Under-treated and Under Discussion" by Demitri F. Papolos, M.D. in NARSAD Research Newsletter, Vol.12, Issue 4, Winter 2000/2001, pages 11-13. Published by the National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression, www.narsad.org.
To find out how you can make a tax-deductible contribution to NMHA,
visit us online at www.nmha.org/donate or call us at 800/969-6642 (option #2).
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Other Answers:
What is Bipolar
Usually bipolar runs in a family and you have to have several episodes to be diagnosed that way. See a psychiatrist. Google bipolar on the web
Its Lengthy But Take A Look At
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bipolar_disorder
Well water is a bipolar molecule, so I'd say you're probably about 80% bipolar
I think being bipolar has something to do with magnets. I think you are not a magnet, are you? I never heard of disease involving this "bipolar" thing
The most important thing,and I mean IMPORTANT is to get an accurate diagnosis. Start with your family doctor. He might send you for an evaluation.Please remember that mood swings are normal for teenagers.Try to get more than one opinion from doctors. If you are bipolar,there are medications that can help you. But please get more than one professional evaluation.
Bipolar is a psychiatric label taken from psychiatrist's widely discredited DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for the Diagnosis of Mental Illness.) The DSM's criteria are vague and ill defined and have their origin in psychiatrists conventions where they simply vote new diseases into existence. (All in favor say aye -- and you've got yourself a new disease)
The lack of science behind the DSM gives a clear idea of why it has earned such critics as the following:
Herb Kutchins of California State University, Sacramento, and Stuart A. Kirk of the University of California, Los Angeles, authors of Making Us Crazy: The Psychiatric Bible and the Creation of Mental Disorders:
“The developers of DSM assume that if a group of psychiatrists agree on a list of atypical [new] behaviors, the behaviors constitute a valid mental disorder. Using this approach, creating mental disorders can become a parlor game in which clusters of all kinds of behaviors (i.e. syndromes) can be added to the manual.”
Psychiatrists claim that a person “needs” a drug to combat their “chemical imbalance” in the brain which is causing a person’s “mental disorder.” However, the concept that a brain-based, chemical imbalance underlies mental illness is false. While popularized by heavy public marketing, it is simply psychiatric wishful thinking. As with all of psychiatry’s disease models, it has been thoroughly discredited by researchers.
In 1996, psychiatrist David Kaiser said, “...modern psychiatry has yet to convincingly prove the genetic/biologic cause of any single mental illness...Patients [have] been diagnosed with ‘chemical imbalances’ despite the fact that no test exists to support such a claim, and...there is no real conception of what a correct chemical balance would look like.”
I strongly recommend that you NOT see a psychiatrist for the problems you're experiencing, but instead see a competent medical doctor. A psychiatrist will quickly label you, will do know medical tests, and will prescribe drugs to remedy an unprovable "chemical imbalance." Psychiatric drugs oftentimes mask very real medical problems.
HERE IS HOW YOU SHOULD GET GOOD HELP: You should find a competent medical doctor at http://www.alternativementalhealth.com (it's sponsored by an organization named Safe Harbor and has an extensive directory of doctors who help people with emotional issues in a holistic way) to find the underlying reason you're experiencing these emotions. Have them do a complete medical workup on you followed by an extensive panel of blood tests. (real doctors do tests, psychiatrists do not) Your bipolar-like symptoms could be the result of a lack of certain amino acids, a vitamin deficiency, toxicity, low thyroid function or a hormonal imbalance. All of these possibilities can be tested for and treated successfully.
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/Publicat/bipolar.cfm
This link may help?
I have suffered from Depression in the past, please go and see your Doctor and get help.
DO NOT be scared to ask. If you are unhappy with their answer go and see another Doctor.
Go and watch some cartoons!
explain how you feel to your parents, and ask that they make an appointment for you with your doctor. he can refer you to someone who can make an informed decision, if after an evaluation he feels you may be bipolar, or that you just need to be assured that you are not. if they refuse, talk to your school nurse.i don't know what all the different symptoms are, one is extreme mood swings. teens have extreme mood swings naturally, because they are growing up and their body is changing due to hormones. what you are feeling is probably normal, but for your peace of mind, a visit to your doctor can help you to know what your body is going through, and what you can expect to be feeling, and how long it may last. it's been so long since i've been a teen that i can't remember how long it took to get through it, but i do remember feeling like i'd lost my best friend one day, and feeling on top of the world the next, only to feel down again. it does end, believe me, and your moods even out. if you are female, you need to know how your hormones may affect you for much of your life. we don't like to think it's true, but it is. young people should be informed about what to expect as they grow.
Dude, I live with bipolar disorder. I have for many years, perhaps as early as 6 or 7 years old. I am now 46 years old. You can find all the symptoms and much more at my website "Our Bipolar World". Click the link below to go there. The links page has links to some great bipolar information as well.
Hope it helps.
Terry
There are a number of symptoms of bipolar and different severities (bipolar 1 people have delusions and/or hallucinations along with severe/lengthy mood swings, bipolar 2 have cycles of rapid mood swings- and there are several stuff in between). Have your parents take you to a therapist or psychiatrist or at least talk to your school counselor or nurse. There is also www.dbsalliance.org which has an online test that may clarify if you are bipolar. But the sooner you get treated, the better your chances of having a 'normal' life- best wishes.
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