Bipolar Disorder in Teens
As a teenager, you’re expected to constantly be going through emotional changes, especially during puberty. You can be over-the-moon happy one second when you get a good grade and then be incredibly angry the next second after a fight with your parents. But despite the intense emotions that you may be feeling, it’s important to be aware of possible signs pointing toward a serious mental health disorder.
While teenagers are expected to go through mood swings as you navigate growing up and figure out who you are, intense shifts in your emotions or energy shouldn’t always be brushed off. Mood disorders, like bipolar disorder, are common during adolescence and require proper treatment.
What is Bipolar Disorder?
Bipolar disorder, formerly referred to as manic-depressive disorder, is a mood disorder that affects about 2.9% of U.S. adolescents between the ages of 13 and 18. It refers to episodes of severe shifts in mood and energy, switching back and forth between periods of manic highs and depressive lows.
Bipolar disorder can make it difficult for you to carry out your daily tasks, such as schoolwork, after-school activities and household chores. It can also be hard to keep healthy relationships with your family, friends and significant others.
How Can Bipolar Disorder Impact Your Life?
The two main types of bipolar disorder are bipolar 1 and bipolar 2. While bipolar 1 has a high level of acuity with severe shifts between episodes, bipolar 2 has longer periods of emotional stability between them. Instead of manic episodes, people with bipolar 2 experience hypomanic episodes, which means that the symptoms are less intense.
Manic high episodes can last up to seven days and consist of symptoms like:
- Abnormally high levels of energy
- Feeling intense positive emotions, such as elation or euphoria
- High sense of self-importance
- Risky or out-of-character behavior
Depressive low episodes can last more than 14 days and consist of symptoms like:
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Overwhelming feeling of sadness and hopelessness
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Changes in sleep patterns, such as oversleeping or insomnia
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Decrease in appetite
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Problems with concentration or memory
How Can Lightfully Teen Treat Bipolar Disorder?
At Lightfully Teen, we can help you manage your bipolar disorder symptoms and develop emotional management skills through process-based therapy (PBT). This clinical model helps to make sure that you’re treating your entire well-being, not just your diagnosis. Because you’re more than just your bipolar disorder.
Teens can tackle every part of their mental health through PBT integrated interventions, such as values clarification and motivational enhancement, to show measurable results. The interventions stem from four core processes that drive mental health symptoms, like those associated with bipolar disorder:
- Difficulty with emotions
- Difficulty with thoughts
- Difficulty with behaviors
- Difficulty with relationships
Multidimensional, Clinical Treatment—
Designed Specifically for You.
Progress You Can See and Understand.
Lightfully uses a clarified approach to PBT, which focuses on working with each client as a whole person, not a diagnosis. By addressing the fundamental, interconnected “Core Processes” – the basis of all mental health disorders – with a personalized Treatment Plan of Integrated Interventions, real change is possible. These Integrated Interventions are backed by clinical evidence (data) of efficacy, drawn from various evidence-based psychotherapies, and inclusive of all dimensions of human experience (i.e., thinking/cognition, behavior, etc.).
Compassion
Cultivates the ability to self-soothe, decrease feelings of shame, and increase self-compassion.
Arousal
Reduction
Increases awareness of arousal responses, aiding in regulation and nervous system resilience.
Mindfulness
Focus on the 'here and now', to be in better relationship with their internal and external environments.
Somatic
Integration
Aims to treat PTSD and other mental and emotional health issues through the connection of mind and body.
Values
Clarification
Aligns actions and values to create a lived reality of purpose and meaning.
Motivational
Enhancement
Explores ambivalence and amplifies personal reasons for change.
Emotion
Regulation
Broadens emotional tolerance - for clearer thinking, less reactivity, and adaptive coping skills.
Interpersonal
Connection
Increases awareness of relational patterns, improving relationships and sense of belonging.
Behavior
Management
Understands the “why” of behavior and implement strategies to increase vitality-generating actions.
Modification of
Negative Core
Beliefs
Creates distance and separation from negative thoughts.
Exposure
Expands acceptance and willingness, by reducing avoidance of life's experiences.
Acceptance
Leans into a full range of emotions, to create a diverse, expansive life worth living.
Compassion
Cultivates the ability to self-soothe, decrease feelings of shame, and increase self-compassion.
Arousal
Reduction
Increases awareness of arousal responses, aiding in regulation and nervous system resilience.
Mindfulness
Focus on the 'here and now', to be in better relationship with their internal and external environments.
Somatic
Integration
Aims to treat PTSD and other mental and emotional health issues through the connection of mind and body.
Values
Clarification
Aligns actions and values to create a lived reality of purpose and meaning.
Motivational
Enhancement
Explores ambivalence and amplifies personal reasons for change.
Emotion
Regulation
Broadens emotional tolerance - for clearer thinking, less reactivity, and adaptive coping skills.
Interpersonal
Connection
Increases awareness of relational patterns, improving relationships and sense of belonging.
Behavior
Management
Understands the “why” of behavior and implement strategies to increase vitality-generating actions.
Modification of
Negative Core
Beliefs
Creates distance and separation from negative thoughts.
Exposure
Expands acceptance and willingness, by reducing avoidance of life's experiences.
Acceptance
Leans into a full range of emotions, to create a diverse, expansive life worth living.
Lightfully Teen Can Help Treat Your Bipolar Disorder
Bipolar disorder is more than just teenage drama and hormones. It’s a mental health disorder that deserves proper care and support. And that’s what we’re here for.
Process-based therapy can help your bipolar disorder in our three levels of care: Residential Treatment, Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP), and Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP), also called our Day Treatment Program.
Get Connected Today
We’re here when you’re ready. Send us a message using the link below or give us a call at 916.269.5371. Let us help shine a light on your path.
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