For parents who have diagnosed Bi-Polar teenagers (female), what did the symptoms look like? Red flags and behaviors. Thank you
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Help a mama out and respond anonymously on our forum. Is it appropriate for a married man to be drinking in a hot tub with another woman?
Definitely want to have your child meet with a professional for a proper diagnosis.
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From what I’ve been told by a few doctors/therapists in NC, they will not diagnose anyone under 18 with bipolar.
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I was diagnosed at 15 or 16 I believe …
Go to a therapist honey 
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With my husband its ups and downs. One minute he’ll be happy and the next hes angry or depressed. Also when hes about to have a moment his eyes turn bright blue. Watch for mood swings. And if ur childs eyes change colors watch for that too. Best of luck.
My son was ADHD when he was a child that turned into bi-polar as an early teen/adult. He has anger issues, he can’t control it. Sometimes seems withdrawn from people. Snaps or violent tendencies toward people or property.
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Best thing to do is see a Dr. Bipolar has several different ways it presents.
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Bipolar shouldn’t be diagnosed till the person is atleast 18yrs old
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A lot of the characteristics could also be cptsd, ptsd, anxiety, adhd, or many other disorders…so a professional needs to assess her.
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Bi polar can becaused from crazy parents,make sure before your diagnosed you have normal family
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Best feelings about this is to seek professional advice
Not Facebook
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My son was diagnosed with bipolar at 5. Insomnia was a really big factor, along with mood swings. It’s like they go from happy to angry 0.4 seconds
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Does she seem to get worse a week or so before her period? I don’t mean regular PMS I mean over the top with any of the emotions. If you aren’t sure help her track that. She may have PMDD or whatever it’s called these days. Talk to the Dr about wicked low dose hormones. Took 20 years for doctors to listen. It knocked my various issues down a few pegs
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I’d definitely go to a therapist for a proper diagnosis. From what I understand, another “symptom” would be being negligent with responsibilities. One day your being productive in your duties and the next you’re not showing up to work, school, etc.
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I am bi polar myself. And if you’re not taking medications you’ll be too sensitive or aggressive about little things somedays you’re happy somedays you’re mad and some days you’re flipping out or having a panic attack
If you’re un medicated to balance your moods
But once you are on medications
You’ll be chill so chill that you almost don’t give a fuck! But you have to sometimes coz of your loved ones
It was alot of things for me…eating disorders and ocd at the age of 8 or 9…which was when I got my period…it went undiagnosed until I was 18 and it was horrible please get her counseling and possibly medicated…but be careful of not over medicating
For all of the commenters who are stating bipolar cannot/should not be diagnosed in a teenager before the age of 18, please do some research because your ignorance is showing.
https://www.stanfordchildrens.org/en/topic/default?id=bipolar-disorder-in-adolescents-90-P01618
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Please don’t self diagnose and bring them to see a psychiatrist and therapist.
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Hibernating, mood changes, sleep disturbances, anger issues, ect. Get a therapist before they hurt u.
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I was diagnosed with type 2 bipolar. There are two different types. But i my best advice is to actually see a therapist about it. By me explaining how i get and what i feel on the daily basis help them figure out what is actually wrong with you.
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I was diagnosed at 16 with bipolar. But wanting to get re diagnosed. As when I was 16 I was suicidal and a self harmer. Was sent to mental hospital where they diagnosed me but found out they diagnose everyone with bipolar who is suicidal and a self harmer. I’d definitely get her into see a phyciatrist for sure tho. Good luck
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Mine was extreme ups and extreme downs. Doing things I knew were potentially dangerous. Erratic behavior. Drug abuse. Self harm. I was diagnosed at 13. I’m 31 now and it’s still very noticeable when I don’t have my trazadone. She will need a combo of meds and therapy. Structure at home is also very important.
It can be difficult to properly diagnose anything in a teen, but it’s definitely worth getting her checked out. As difficult as it can be to live with someone with untreated bipolar, it’s definitely not fun for the untreated person either. All of these people saying you CANT until 18 have no idea what they are talking about, coming from someone who lived it…
Anger issues, highs and lows. Like really happy then really sad it’s like it comes out of no where
I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder at 15.look for really high moods and lows you cycle with bipolar disorder I would find a dr who specializes in juvenile mental health problems.
There are different types of bipolar. In 2 they may have longer times of depression.
I have manic bipolar, and ADHD…I AM 53…It took a lot of mental health professionals and Dr to get me diagnosed in my mid 20s for Bipolar and not till mid 30s with also ADHD. A LOT of other mental health issues mask as Bipolar. Get her a psychiatrist to help diagnose first and foremost
I wasn’t diagnosed with bipolar until I was 22 years old my father had bipolar my uncle has bipolar and my grandmother has bipolar one of the telltale signs for me was a quick flip of the switch over something so stupid somebody could chew wrong and I wanted to kill I got so violently angry that I put not only myself in danger but others as well I changed schools every 3 to 6 months I would disappear for months it was extremely up and downs I wouldn’t want to get out of bed that was me it started out with cutting and heavy mood swings
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You really need to talk to their doctor and a psychologist. Things like ADHD look like bipolar in girls.
I went misdiagnosed my entire life.
There are two different types of bipolar disorder and there are many symptoms. Please see a psychiatrist that can properly diagnose. I am diagnosed bipolar 2, it is a very (in my case) hard to regulate thing. Also blood sugar and other medical problems can mimic bipolar disorder.
Please beware
They will prescribe different meds
But please don’t get here on a benzo…
Xanax…klonopin…Ativan…ect
Just really addicting pillls
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Risky behavior, then severe mood swings, but not like angry one second then sad the next. My daughter will be super depressed for a week or two, then very hyper and overly happy for a few weeks. She was diagnosed as manic bipolar at 14
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They would not diagnose my daughter under 18. However she was treated with medication for this diagnosis.
Highs & lows, mood swings, talks about being suicidal, depression etc
Mood changes
Depression
They found out she was 16
Went to Dr. Got meds.
Did good
When off
Not a pretty picture
Kind of hard to tell when they’re going thru so many hormonal changes.
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Im borderline
The only thing that differed me from a bi polar diagnosis is the length of the extreme highs and lows
No regard for actions of consequences. Irrational
Wrecklessness is a big one
I had a friend who was bi polar and when she spiraled her and her mom had action plans in place. Her mom had her credit card info so if she went on a spending bender her mom could call and smooth it over.
Car keys given to someone else ect
Unfortunately she needs a medical exam.
It can be very dangerous
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Two face in Batman or
Dr Jekyll and Mr.Hyde.
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Many illnesses and diagnosis can look alike. A psychiatrist is needed to determine a mental illness diagnosis.
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I would look at hormones and blood work first, especially considering her age. It is rare to have a child bipolar but they are considered to be more aggressive. If she was to have full mania it could not be misdiagnosed. Go to a reputable doctor that does NOT give a 10 questions form and decide yes or no bipolar based on that.
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Hi! Bipolar 2 here. I’ve probably had it for longer than 6-7 years but was recently diagnosed 2 years ago!! Basically before counseling and meds. I was never happy , would do irrotational things like go buy a shit ton of stuff and put myself in debt, leave my ex all the time , my moods would change in like a few seconds. If a noise or I got stimulus overload I’d get so mad id throw things. Or if just be at an all time low! Episodes lasted anywhere from a few days to a few weeks before meds!! I’m sooo grateful I was pushed to get help bc I’m so so so much better! And truly happier!! So please help them!!
My oldest daughter was diagnosed at 15, she had major manic and depressive mood swings. The one thing I would suggest is get your child in the see a therapist. If they are given any mental health diagnosis keep them going to therapy. It took over 2 years and alot of trial and error before we found the “right fit” for my daughter. This included a psychiatrist for medication and a counselor for regular weekly sessions. Do not give up on your child! I say this from experience, sometimes you even have to provide them with tough love, even if that means putting them in a mental health home. She did forgive me and is a beautiful young woman with 2 wonderful boys.
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Another thing to watch for is food dyes. Especially red dye 40 can cause behavioral issues in children.
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Watch her red dyes intake and nutrition! 
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Being super grouchy and moody is one that i had when I was a teenager and at least two of my kids are bipolar as of now. That is one of the things we deal with here and severe anxiety. But honestly you should talk to a doctor you trust.
I have bipolar, and we tracked it back from when I was 10
Didn’t get diagnosis until I was 23
I would have bouts of depression and no enjoyment in life, my anxiety was so high I couldn’t eat in front of people at school, I would hide food in my room, I would binge eat
At 13 I became very sexually active and very silly with it
I would go thru periods of time I wouldn’t sleep at all.
I didn’t care who I hurt or what I did
Finally I self harmed a lot…
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Look into borderline personality too. I had a child with that when I thought it was bi-polar.
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Serious ups n downs, like a flip of switch some lasting longer than others. Start a journal- tracking her behaviors, how often, environment during time… Research n talk to her physician. Be open n honest with her, not passing judgement. Listen!! Communication is needed…
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Sadness. Over happy. Pissy .Tired .Sadness. Happy. Behaviors that make them “feel”… at least thats me anyway… Meds help…mostly.
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If you believe your child has bipolar disorder, you need to find a child psychologist who knows what it looks like in CHILDREN. Then you need to explain your concerns and allow your daughter to privately discuss them with the doctor. Many reactions to life events can mimic bi polar disorder. Many other mental illnesses can mimic bi polar disorder as well. Also, there are many types of bi polar disorder. Bpd( borderline personality disorder) is most often confused for bi polar disorder in young girls. The former being an under/improperly developed personality that needs emotional and personality development coaching, while bi polar is a hormonal imbalance that can be treated with medication. Self diagnosis by someone who is inexperienced or uneducated on the matters can cause significant worsening of the conditions. Dont presume you understand it because you read up on it on the internet and then try to treat it yourself, or force a certain diagnosis or understanding by the doctor. It really does take extensive training to understand the possibility of diagnosis/treatment, especially for adolescents. Even the information we have currently continues to change. To give your daughter her best shot, go to a specialist with a long history. Write down the symptoms on a calendar, and the events that made you see those symptoms so you can share with the doctor. Then allow your daughter to discuss those events with a doctor privately because maybe something has happened during those times you are unaware of because - teenager. And listen to your daughters concerns wholly about her treatment.
I’ve had bi polar 2 for a long time, and it can get very scary and overwhelmingly lonely. Our mania and anger can cause people to turn away or even be afraid of us. Our lows can cause us to turn away from others when we really need them most. It is an angry and scary cycle.
The best form of treatment for her would be a doctors diagnosis and care. That then allows you to love her like a mother and not a psuedo doctor. She will need you as her mother, more than you will understand right now. Build that bond of respect and trust with her and you’ll find that no matter the diagnosis you will both be able to weather it together. And it will be much healthier and easier for you to maintain your relationship through the ups and downs under the assistance of trained professionals.
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If you do find she is bipolar with any mood disorder, try lamotrigine first. There aren’t any side effects and it works.
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I have bi polar it’s a lot to type if you have questions feel free to dm me!!
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I don’t care for labels. If a person notices an extreme change… I guess its inevitable to be diagnosed. If it’s small changes…maybe seeing a regular physician to determine if its a health issue …or maybe behavioral therapy and tools to deal with emotion is enough. I do believe one thing… Mental health professionals don’t seem satisfied until they find a diagnostic label… maybe it’s for insurance . Good luck.
Bipolar is constantly misdiagnosed as borderline personality. Google the two of them and compare your daughters symptoms.
ADHD can be Misdiagnosed as bipolar in females.
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That’s really tricky because there’s a lot of disorders that can also look like bipolar. I recently had my 16 year bipolar diagnosis removed! If you suspect you or your children have a mental illness please go get checked asap! You gotta get on top of it as soon as you can. Especially if it is bipolar that can ruin lives if you don’t get help for it.
I’m bipolar and I have a 20 something child, shes seen people but I was told they don’t like to label them as teens, she was 17 first therapy sessions.
If they are trying to label your kids as a teen, get a 2nd opinion.
I was diagnosed as bipolar at 17 (it was called manic depressive) and it wreaked havoc on my life. Turned out it was normal hormones and I didn’t like my family at the time (also normal). I’m a perfectly respectable person now and don’t even have depression. Be careful jumping to conclusions and starting medications. I have never been able to lose the weight I gained with those meds and I’m 40 now. Diagnoses can be dangerous.
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Most professionals won’t diagnose bi polar until they are in their twenties, it’s difficult when there could be other factors eg hormones, anxiety, maturity etc
I’m sharing these because someone I love is bipolar and so many of these are accurate(at least for him)
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Following because someone in my family young will scream at you and just go off and 10 minutes later act like nothing ever happened
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As I am bipolar I know quite a bit if you wanna message me to chat.
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There are different signs and different types of bipolar, it’s probably good for teenagers to be in counseling regardless of whether or not they show signs of mental illness because first off, you don’t see signs all the time, and second, they’re teenagers, a good medical professional will see the difference between actual signs of mental illness and regular teenaged angst. Teenagers could always benefit from having counseling anyway though because even if they seem fine, they may be going through things they need to talk through. I was undiagnosed until I was 27 and it was rough, find someone who actually knows what they’re talking about, don’t just go to the first person you find because not all medical professionals are really good at their jobs. Talk to people in your area and get recommendations so that you know you’re not just getting some quack that will shove drugs down their throat to make it seem like they’re doing the job to make you happy. You want an actual diagnosis, if one applies, and that generally takes time, multiple sessions, just because you have some symptoms of a mental illness doesn’t automatically mean you have it.
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As somebody who is bipolar it’s really best to go get her seen by a professional, you would never know I’m bi polar unless I told you so everything is different for everyone
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Each person is different and don’t have all the same signs. Definitely bring her to talk to a professional.
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Help a mama out and respond anonymously on our forum. Is it appropriate for a married man to be drinking in a hot tub with another woman?
Severe highs and lows " from shopping sprees to staying reclusive and alone, i uses shopping spree as an example, just look out for anyone being overly happy to being very sad. There are many other componets to this disorder, im just listing a couple of symptoms
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Every emotion is to the extremes. They’re either all the way up or all the way down, not much in between. They can and will flip between the two rapidly to the point it’s confusing.
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As a Mom of 2 kids with bipolar. Don’t ask on here get her into counseling see the proper Dr get family counseling and testing done. No one on here can actually tell you because we don’t see or feel what you do. I would also suggest you be seen by a Dr also because it is a very emotional rollercoaster that seems like it never ends, and there are ways to cope and much to be learned.
I honestly don’t think teens should be diagnosed with bipolar. Teens are super hormonal and unreasonable at times. I was misdiagnosed as bipolar as a teen and the meds made me so much worse. I didn’t feel like myself at all. I got off of the meds when I turned 18 and had free will and have had no issues since (currently 33). I was just a wild emotional teen, not bipolar.
My 16 year old daughter gets very angry, yelling, throwing thing’s, breaking thing’s, calling me names, tells me she’s going to kill me in my sleep, that I should be dead! It gets bad! But, I can’t get her any help! I was told because she’s over 14, she needs to sign a consent for any treatment! And she always refuses. Even when she isn’t in one of her “moods”, she won’t consent! My 12 year old son, has ADHD, ODD. And every symptom of Autism. But they won’t send a referral to get him tested. He gets very angry, yelling, hitting, breaking thing’s! Name calling. Everything my daughter does, but never to me. It’s always towards my 11 year old son. Now my daughter, that’s towards me! She has pushed me, punched me! I live in Pennsylvania. The laws do suck! As a parent, I’m stuck! And my children are going to grow up being Bipolar! And no help! My father was in state prison most of my life, for murder. Because he was undiagnosed with Bipolar. Until the day he died in state prison! There’s not enough help for mental health issues!!! And it’s sad!
Overly happy, starts many tasks or projects never finishes them, smallest thing can cause them to feel like the entire world is crumbling down around them, multiple sexual partners, spending excessively, skipping school, dangerous activities, going from one extreme to the next, not sleeping, or over sleeping. When my bipolar acts up I stay awake for days and days and then crash for days. Excessive eating, or not eating at all. There are 2 different types of bipolar as well. Best to take her in and see a therapist.
I was diagnosed with bipolar at age 12 and my sister at age 16. I have type 2 so I get really depressed and aggravated quickly. Changes of environment and plans are difficult for me. Even going to school and home or not going to a specific place at a certain time can be hard. I had lots of melt downs and also self harmed. My sister is bipolar 1. She used to be up at 3am redesigning her room completely. She would talk a mile a minute and could never stop moving. She would also get really bad depression and would stay in her room for days on end. So there are different signs for different types. Medications help me but not her and we both continue to do therapy and learn how to manage our emotions better.
My daughter was manic a lot, she would go weeks without sleep, have tons of energy, would talk faster than usual, getting into fights and was really impulsive. One time I caught her mopping the ceiling of the bathroom in the middle of the night. My house was always spotless thanks to her. Unfortunately I didn’t know what was going on until she attempted suicide. They also said they don’t like to label teens as bipolar or label them at all at such an early age but they said she was more likely bipolar. Since she’s now an adult she’s been confirmed as bipolar. Because of her I got diagnosed as bipolar too and we’ve both been on meds since. Best of luck.