1. Home
  2. Health
  3. Bipolar Disorder

Teens

The adolescent years are difficult at best. Life as a teenager is fraught with insecurity, social awkwardness, and the rites of passage into adulthood. Toss in a serving of bipolar disorder and the instability of this age increases exponentially. Found here are resources and articles to help remove some of the thorns. Some of these resources have been contributed by teens themselves.
Bipolar Teens - Experience, Advice and Tools
Teenagers who have bipolar disorder face many challenges. They often need individual education plans (IEPs) or other specialized arrangements to help them - and their teachers - deal with aspects of BP that impact them in the classroom and in social situations. Unlike kids with a condition like ADHD which is widely recognized, the stigma attached to bipolar disorder may make it difficult for these teens to tell their friends about it. These articles address those issues and others.
Doctors, Meds & Friends
I would like to introduce Zach. Zach is fourteen and just graduated from middle school. I sat down with him this week and talked to him about his diagnosis and medication. Zach has bipolar disorder and takes Abilify. Our conversation brought out a couple of great points from a teen's perspective.
Teen Medication Issues
For anyone with bipolar disorder, medications are a factor in everyday life. However, for teens the battle to find the right meds is often much harder. Dealing with all these medication changes and the hormones of adolescence is like fighting a war on two fronts. The best thing you can do is to remember that it does get better, and a successful medication combination can be achieved.
Blogging: A New Communication Tool for Teens and Parents
Teenagers and communication with parents just don’t seem to mix well in most families. However, for teenagers with bipolar disorder, communication with parents is imperative to ensure that proper treatment is received by the teen. Direct communication is not always necessary, but some form of communication is a must and this is where a blog can be a valuable tool.
Telling Your Friends about Bipolar Disorder
Talking to your friends about bipolar disorder is often a difficult matter and something that should be handled with great care. Having friends who understand your disorder can be a great support system. They can be a terrific sounding board if they are capable of understanding what you go through and you can trust them.
Teens with Bipolar Disorder and School
Teen author Dan discusses living day to day in the classroom with bipolar disorder, stable or unstable, what to do if you lose control of your emotions, how to set up a support network and the importance of doing so, along with other important topics regarding teens with bipolar and school.
Explore Bipolar Disorder
About.com Special Features

Learn how you can reduce your your numbers with these nutrition and exercise tips. More >

Keep yourself, and your family, happy and healthy this fall with these tips. More >

  1. Home
  2. Health
  3. Bipolar Disorder
  4. Children & Teens
  5. Teens

©2009 About.com, a part of The New York Times Company.

All rights reserved.