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Bipolar Disorder in Teen Girls

Helping Your Daughter Get the Help She Needs

As the parent of an adolescent girl, you might sometimes find it hard to distinguish between "normal" teenage behavior and troubled teen behavior. After all, physical, hormonal and emotional changes - not to mention social pressure - can make adolescence a naturally difficult time.

But if your teen is having trouble socially and/or academically, consistently experiencing frequent - and often dramatic - mood swings, or seems to "change" her personality from day to day (or even hour to hour), she could be suffering from bipolar disorder.

While the symptoms of bipolar disorder aren't usually apparent until sufferers reach young adulthood, more and more teens are being diagnosed with bipolar disorder.

Unlike adults dealing with bipolar disorder, bipolar teens often experience the mood swings and changes associated with the disorder more frequently and with greater intensity. While bipolar adults tend to experience changes in mood over a period of days or weeks, the moods and behaviors of teen girls with bipolar disorder may swing rapidly over the course of a few hours.

Regardless, teens with bipolar disorder often exhibit very similar symptoms and moods to adults suffering from the disorder: primarily, bipolar girls tend to fluctuate between extreme "highs" and equally extreme "lows".

Is Your Teen Bipolar?
When a bipolar teen is experiencing a high or "manic" phase, she may exhibit many of the following symptoms:

  • Very fast, rapid speech and racing thoughts
  • Excessive energy and/or hyperactivity
  • Insomnia, sleeplessness and/or little need to sleep
  • Extreme irritability or aggression
  • Excessively "high" or elevated mood and unreasonable or irrational optimism - beyond what most people would consider normal
  • Overconfidence or an extreme sense of self-importance
  • Difficulty paying attention or concentrating
  • Irrational, unsafe or risky behaviors including unsafe driving, substance abuse or actions that endanger herself or others.
When a bipolar teen experiences a "low" or depressive phase, she may exhibit the following symptoms:
  • Persistent sadness or irritability
  • Loss of interest in activities she usually enjoys
  • Social isolation and a lack of interest in meeting friends or participating in group activities
  • Low energy and/or constant fatigue, including excessive sleeping or sleepiness (she may also have trouble sleeping or experience insomnia)
  • Trouble at school, including a noticeable change in academic performance
  • Inability to take pleasure in activities she previously enjoyed
  • Anger, anxiety or constant worry
  • Talking or thoughts of death or suicide
Helping Your Bipolar Daughter
If your teenage daughter is exhibiting symptoms of bipolar disorder, it's important to get her the help she needs. Finding the right treatment for your bipolar teen can help her learn to manage the disease - and make the transition to a healthy, happy, productive adulthood.

If you think your adolescent daughter may be bipolar, a licensed psychiatrist can help with a professional diagnosis. But because helping your teenage girl manage her bipolar disorder involves more than medication, you may also want to consider a therapeutic boarding program designed to help her develop the personal skills she needs to enjoy a fulfilling young adulthood.

Therapeutic Boarding Schools for Bipolar Teens
A teen's bipolar disorder can be caused - or triggered - by a multitude of factors including genetics, traumatic emotional experiences and environmental influences, so there is no absolute cure for the condition. However, adolescent girls with bipolar disorder can learn to effectively manage their condition through the right combination of medication, lifestyle changes and behavioral and cognitive therapy.

And because helping a bipolar teen does require a multi-faceted approach, therapeutic boarding schools can be an effective solution. In addition to providing a highly structured environment, a girls' boarding school will also provide skilled professional staff and licensed therapists who specialize in working with bipolar teens. Other benefits of an all-girls boarding program include:

  • 24-hour, round-the-clock emotional support
  • Qualified adolescent therapists and staff
  • Academic support and continuing academic curriculum - so your daughter can continue her academic development
  • Peer relationships and emotional support
  • Family therapy and family involvement in your daughter's treatment
      • Bipolar disorder can be a serious condition, but it doesn't have to prevent your teenage daughter from enjoying a normal, healthy adolescence -especially if she gets the guidance, support and treatment she needs.

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