A Child with Bipolar Disorder Makes Parenting Difficult Essays

According to a study conducted by Diler et al. (2011), the children of parents with bipolar disorder are the most at risk for developing bipolar disorder and other psychiatric mood disorders. Parents and caregivers with bipolar disorder represent a unique factor that may alter healthy emotional and behavioral development of children. As bipolar disorder is a neurological disorder that causes drastic shifts in mood, abrupt changes in energy that directly affects the ability to consistently execute day to day tasks (Chung et al., 2007), children raised in this highly unstable environment are especially at risk for cognitive and behavioral issues. This research will examine studies in which parental bipolar disorder is examined and the effects of parental mental illness on family dynamics and its impact on developing children. Additionally, the research will examine how early detection and monitoring can mitigate the risks for bipolar disorder in children and how treatment can prevent the onset of adult bipolar disorder.

Family pyschoeducation provides guidance and information to families with a bipolar child. This has proven to decrease symptoms and increase knowledge and positive interactions. The results from the treatments will vary but information of available treatments and interventions are imperative for a teacher as he or she can provide the students a controlled educational environment.

Bipolar Disorder is much more common than most people think. With an average of about 2.6% of the US population diagnosed, Bipolar Disorder has become the sixth leading cause of disability in the country. Despite its popularity, the different types of bipolar disorder are the hardest psychological disorders to identify and treat because of the many close similarities between them and with other disorders. Bipolar Disorder is one of the top misdiagnosed disorders. Surprisingly, there is a common misdiagnosis between women; Bipolar Disorder will sometimes be misdiagnosed as regular depression. While in men, Bipolar Disorder is more misdiagnosed as schizophrenia. The average age of onset is about 25 but can be as young as early childhood or as old as late adulthood. There is a higher possibility of a child developing Bipolar Disorder if there is a history of the disorder in the family. This increasing number has caused many research facilities to conduct a multitude of studies on whether or not this disorder can be genetic. There have been no conclusive results with these studies. An average of about one in five people with Bipolar Disorder commits suicide. This disorder though treatable is not curable; it is a lifelong disease. The more we learn about the different types of Bipolar Disorder such as Major Depressive Episode, Hypomanic Episode, and Manic Episode the more we will be able to diagnose, treat and even one day cure!

Living with a person who has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, or even being a family member who has a genuine concern for this individual’s well-being is a strenuous process. Learning how to recognize and handle disruptive behavior, understanding the symptoms, supporting the individual through potential treatment or recovery periods and assessing the overall situation in the most effective manner is a long-term and constant commitment. Thus, family members, particularly those who take on the role of caregiver are often impacted as severely, if not more so than the person who has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, at least on the surface. Bipolar disorder and

Pavuluri, M. (2008). What works for bipolar kids: Help and hope for parents (Kindle ed.). New York, New York: Guilford Press.

For an episode to be categorized as manic, the patients’ mood has been irritable or abnormally elevated for at least 1 week. A person must also exhibit at least 3 of the following symptoms (4 if the mood is only irritable): extreme feelings of personal greatness; a decreased need for sleep, marked talkativeness; distractibility; extreme focus on a goal-directed activity; reports of ‘racing’ thoughts or a flight of ideas; or excessive involvement in pleasurable activities that have a high potential for painful consequences (i.e. sexual indiscretions or unintelligent business investments). As in the criteria for a depressed episode, the DSM-IV specifies that these symptoms should not be better explained as being a side effect of a drug or illness to qualify as a manic episode. These symptoms must interfere with the person’s normal functioning and must not meet the criteria for a mixed episode. As with adults, childhood-onset bipolar disorder has many faces. Children with Bipolar I Disorder have episodes of mania and episodes of depression, sometimes there are long periods of normal moods between episodes. Adults usually tend to have more depressed episodes than manic episodes. However, some children will have chronic mania (symptoms of mania lasting for long periods of time or marked by frequent recurrence) and seldom experience a depressed episode.

In this paper, I will present a case study in which I will describe the struggles of living with an adolescent diagnosed with bipolar disorder. I will discuss the case, the family relationships, the causes and diagnosis, and the treatment options currently available to those with bipolar disorder in general. The purpose of my paper is to make the reader aware of what goes on in the life of an adolescent with bipolar disorder type II.

Bipolar disorder is typically a condition that affects people in their late teens and early adulthood. It is usually not thought to affect a child but it is something that, if present at a young age, can seriously affect the way a child grows up. Bipolar disorder affects every aspect of a person’s life and is not as understood as it should be. Researchers are still looking for the cause of this illness and how it can be treated but overall it is a condition that many people are undereducated on and that is something I’m hoping this paper might be able to change for some.

            Before researching this topic, I used to think that Bipolar Disorder was a very rare mental illness and in most cases, a misdiagnoses. There are many misconceptions about Bipolar Disorder and mental illness as a whole. Bipolar Disorder has become an epidemic in America and affects nearly everyone in some way. The term Bipolar is increasingly being misused to describe someone having a bad day or being excessively happy. Over the past generation, Bipolar has began to be used as an adjective to describe how people are feeling or acting.  Most of us know someone who either has Bipolar Disorder or someone affected by it. The purpose of this essay is to examine Bipolar Disorder and determine the best way for individuals, along with their loved one’s to manage the disorder. This will hopefully help people understand what a friend or family member is going through and even help an individual struggling with Bipolar Disorder. Better yet, it could inspire others to research and spread ideas to someday cure Bipolar Disorder. Citizens can call upon their elected officials to increase access to mental health services (counseling, therapy, medications) for people diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder and support the families that are affected.

Bipolar Disorder is a brain disorder which unfortunately affects many individuals, causing unusual shifts in behaviors and moods, alterations in energy and activity levels, as well as dysfunction in the ability to perform day-to-day activities. This disorder can even be the cause of many broken relationships and the development of other mental health illnesses. In the literature review provided, the writer will explore Bipolar Disorder as a mental illness, specifically diagnosed in adults. The paper will entail information regarding contributing factors of the illness, treatment options and therapeutic models to treat the disorder, and will discuss the effects on children of parents with bipolar disorder. Additionally, the writer will reflect on a certain gap in current and past research and will provide a discussion of implications for future social work practice with this specific population.

Since the 1990s, the amount of children who are diagnosed with a form of bipolar disorder have rocketed sky high. Children, like adults can possibly have neurological issues in the brain that does not allow them to function properly. These children are seen as hyperactive, aggressive people who are not able to control themselves mentally and emotionally. They can be described as a “ticking time bomb”, and people having to walk on eggshells around them, not knowing if it is going to be the euphoric or the depressed child, they are going to be dealing with. In this literature review, the following topics will be mentioned: the description of what bipolar disorder is; the types of bipolar disorders; the child’s state of mind in the disorder; the causes of bipolar disorder; The DSM-V criteria for diagnosing Bipolar disorder; and the treatment of the disorder.

Patients with bipolar disorder average three misdiagnoses and four different consultations before finally receiving and accurate diagnosis, and therefore it is extremely important that once the diagnosis is made a treatment plan can be put in place, (Miller, 2006). Unfortunately for children treatments are quite limited but they are still essential to the betterment of the child. The first step is usually to have the patient go on mood stabilizers, (Miller, 2006). It is the key recommendation in the first phase of treatment. When it comes to the mood stabilizers, one in three patients will remain symptom free throughout their lifetime while others experience a reduction in frequency and severity of episodes, (Miller, 2006). For

Bipolar Disease is very common in America, especially among children and young adults. The disease over the years has grown rapidly within children and young adults. Studies have stated that a child that has at least 1 parent that has developed this disease, is most at risk to have it as well. It is stated that a child, who has one parent with this disease has a 10%-25% chance of developing the disease. Also, if the child has two parents that have developed the disease, it is a higher chance for the child to develop the Bipolar Disease as well. In most situations the disease tends to run in the immediate family. There are many causes and factors that cause children to have an Bipolar Disease. One of the two main factors that causes a child

The issues surrounding the importance of early diagnosis and the application of a variety of therapies for bipolar disorder are examined through the lens of a mix of quantitative, qualitative and mixed peer reviewed journals acquired from data sources such as MEDLINE, and Psycinfo by using Boolean language in Lamar University’s library data base. Current studies into the dynamics of manic depression or bipolar disorder, offer insight into future treatments; diagnosis of pediatric bipolar disorder (PBD); and detection of BD at a genetic level. Concerns that arise from this literature comprise issues relating to:

Because bipolar disorders are generally recurrent, maintenance treatment is usually needed. This is especially true when there have been multiple episodes, a clear family history of bipolar disorder or symptom onset before age 18. Effective maintenance