Whether your child is newly diagnosed or has lived with bipolar disorder for some time, it’s important to recognize the signs of mania/hypomania and when to call the doctor. Be aware of changes in behavior, sleep, energy level and thought pattern, especially if these differ from your child’s normal personality. Here are ten signs:

 

#1 Over-talkative

Your child may feel a strong need to talk, which presents as almost an obsession to talk about anything. This can include not being able to listen to anyone else talk. This may also involve periods of talking too loudly or too rapidly. He may talk so quickly that he jumps from topic to topic.

 

 

#2 Elation or giddiness

Your child’s mood may be unusually and inappropriately elevated without reason. She may seem super happy for hours or days and extremely wound up and excited. She may crack jokes more than usual or act in a silly way that is out of the ordinary. She may sing and dance during a sombre event or may even laugh hysterically while being punished for example.

 

 

#3 Irritability and/or rapid mood swings

Your child may have a chronic irritable mood instead of an elated mood. She could feel cranky for hours or days at a time and may be argumentative, easily agitated, and generally irritated by everything. She may even have rage attacks and prolonged temper tantrums. Your child could also experience rapid mood swings, with feeling on top of the world one minute to being angry with everyone and have intense rage the next.

 

 

#4 Decreased need for sleep/lots of energy

Your child may appear to have boundless energy, as if a motor drives him, or may have great difficulty falling asleep and require less sleep than usual. All this without feeling tired. He may rush around doing things nonstop.

 

 

#5 Racing thoughts

Your child may have racing thoughts and ideas that race through her brain and she is unable to slow the thoughts down. She might jump from topic to topic as her speech tries to keep up with the swirl of thoughts.

 

 

#6 Grandiosity

Your child may feel advanced, superior, and gifted with special knowledge that is beyond what other humans could understand or comprehend. He could believe he can do anything or be anything beyond what is usual for his age (for example, the best hockey player, famous rap star, prince, millionaire).

 

 

#7 Hypersexuality

Your child may have a strong sexual impulse and desire and behave in a sexually inappropriate way. Young children may make inappropriate comments, gestures, and advances of a sexual nature. Preteens may dress provocatively and engage in sexual activity beyond their years. Teens may engage in risky sexual behaviors with multiple partners.

 

 

#8 Strange thoughts

Your child could be unusually suspicious of things and people and even hear voices that nobody else can hear and see things that nobody else can see. He could also experience dark and strange thoughts that scare him.

 

 

#9 Unusual/risky behavior

Your child may engage in behavior that is risky or foolish, such as jumping off heights, giving his possessions away. If he believes he has special powers, he may want to try to act upon those thoughts.

 

 

#10 Increased goal-directed activity

Your child may hyperfocus on a particular need, goal, or project to the exclusion of other things. She may have trouble staying on track with anything else that is happening around her. She may begin multiple projects with much enthusiasm and is unusually productive and highly creative.

 

 

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The genetics involved in bipolar disorder are complicated when it comes to what affects a child’s risk of getting the condition. While studies continue, researchers and psychiatrists do look at different predictors for higher-risk children and teens. Here are five to keep in mind:

 

#1 Genetics

Bipolar disorder clearly has underlying genetic factors and it tends to run in families. Research has shown that when one parent has bipolar, children have up to a 30 percent chance of developing the disorder. When both parents have it, the risk increases as high as 75 percent. When a child has bipolar, the risk to siblings is up to 25 percent and the risk for an identical twin is up to 70 percent.

 

 

#2 Anxiety disorders

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, several studies show that “youth with anxiety disorders are more likely to develop bipolar disorder than youth without anxiety disorders. However, anxiety disorders are very common in young people. Most children and teens with anxiety disorders do not develop bipolar disorder.”

 

 

#4 Familial symptoms

Children who have a parent with bipolar disorder were themselves more likely to develop the disorder if they had baseline depression, anxiety or affective lability (unstable, rapidly changing emotions). A recent study from the American Journal of Psychiatry looked at around 350 youths ages 6 to 18 who had a parent with bipolar I or II and compared them to peers without a familial risk. Those with all risk factors had a 49 percent chance of illness onset.

 

 

#5 Sleep disturbances

Sleep disturbances could be a warning sign that the children of people with bipolar disorder may develop the disorder themselves. A 2015 study in the journal Bipolar Disorders found that among offspring of parents with bipolar who hadn’t yet developed the disorder, disrupted sleeping patterns such as frequently waking during the night, “significantly predicted the onset of bipolar over time.”

 

 

 

#5 Problems with anger & behavior

American researchers looked at a small group of preschoolers at risk of developing bipolar disorder later in life because of their family history. The at-risk children demonstrated “significantly more intense, pervasive and clinically concerning problems in anger modulation and behavior dysregulation.” They were also more likely to have maternal-reported anxiety and oppositional defiant disorders, which involve a persistent pattern of irritability, anger, defiance or vindictiveness.

 

 

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Many aspects of cognitive functioning carry on just fine in people with bipolar—sometimes even better than in the general population. However, there are many who struggle with misfires in specific areas: verbal memory, executive organization, “processing speed” and focus. Here are seven ways to help cope with these glitches:

 

 

#1 Seek medical advice

Determining what is causing the cognitive shortfalls is the first important step. Unlike the past, psychiatrists and researchers are coming to acknowledge that memory lapses and other neurocognitive deficits—disorganization, groping for words, problems learning new information—can go hand in hand with the more obvious mood and behavioral symptoms that characterize bipolar.

 

 

#2 Neuropsychological testing

There are neuropsychological tests that are proving helpful in identifying problems that can make everyday functioning difficult. Some tests measure planning skills and how quickly and accurately someone responds to stimuli, while other tests are devised to catch misfires in attention and memory. Undergoing a thorough neuropsychological assessment may help you to correctly diagnose whether you do have any persistent areas of deficit related to your bipolar disorder.

 

 

#3 Look at med options

If you’re having difficulties talk to your doctor to see if there are options within your medication protocol. There are studies that offer information on which type of mood stabilizer / atypical antipsychotics offer the least amount of cognitive pitfalls, says Chris Aiken MD in a Psychiatric Times article. Also, cognitive side effects tend to be dose-dependent, so a custom tailoring with the prescription can help to clarify whether a medication is contributing to the problem.

 

 

#4 Wellness lifestyle

Making healthy lifestyle choices can help ease the destabilizing symptoms of bipolar. And research now supports a role for sleep, exercise, and diet in cognition and mood. This includes strict sleep hygiene and following a consistent exercise program. As for eating choices, The MIND diet is a good blend of several approaches that have research support for cognition (it stands for “Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay”).

 

 

#5 Change tactics

Cues, prompts, reminders, and repetition can help with learning and memory problems. In his work with patients whose memory is unreliable, psychiatrist Joseph Goldberg suggests tactics such as using sticky notes, appointment calendars, and a technique called “chunking”—splitting information into smaller units that are easier to remember. Also, making the environment less distracting and creating routine around daily tasks can offset problems in focus and organization.

 

 

#6 Take advantage of technology

In our tech-oriented world, there’s a constant focus on personal ‘apps’ to help manage life’s complexities. There are to-do apps, scheduling apps, advanced project management apps and even thesaurus apps when you struggle to find that befitting word. There are even apps now that help with self-monitoring of bipolar mood, sleep cycles and energy levels.

 

 

#7 Consider therapy

Look at newer approaches like Functional Remediation Therapy in which patients practice exercises in a group setting to improve their cognitive and social skills. This appears more successful at restoring functioning skills than directly helping cognition, but it still helps. You can find groups online using web-based training sessions.

 

 

 

 

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Gabe Howard is an award-winning speaker, writer, and advocate who lives with bipolar and anxiety disorders. He’s the creator of the official bipolar shirt. (Get yours now!) He can be reached via his website, www.GabeHoward.com. 

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Gabe Howard

Having bipolar disorder can be tough and dealing with irritability is an ongoing issue that I experience while having this difficult mental illness. There are times when I feel extremely on edge and it seems that nothing is going right in my day. The smallest occurrences can throw me off my game and I find myself feeling frustrated and upset over the smallest things. Although the irritability gremlin has tried to get the best of me, I am always learning new techniques to battle this overwhelming feeling, and there are many things that we can do to deal with irritability.

My Life Feels Overwhelming when Irritability Takes Over

I find myself increasingly irritable when I fill my body with any amount of caffeine and coffee is not a friend of my bipolar disorder. If I drink caffeine in the morning on the odd occasion, even one cup can tip my brain into an irritable mode. I instead fill my water bottle and remind myself that I need water to keep my brain working optimally, so hydration often helps to ease the overwhelming feelings.

Although living in a big city has its benefits, traffic often fuels my irritability and I have been known to speed, swear, and scream endlessly when behind the wheel. Most days, I am calm and collected, but when a person cuts me off in traffic, I may often take it personally.

To add to the fire, I often play loud music in the car that contributes to my anger, but a calming classical station may actually help take the edge off, rather than booming electronica beats that encourage my irritable mood. I also have been known to glare and feel edgy while in a line up waiting for a latte and I may not be understanding when it takes the barrister 10 minutes to make my drink, even when she is dealing with a significant line up of customers. I forget that the world does not revolve around me and it is best to practice patience with others. When I am feeling irritable, it infuriates me when people do not return a smile, but perhaps I should not take it personally, and consider that their reaction has nothing to do with me, but is merely a reflection about how their own day is going.

Tips for Dealing with Irritability

It is impossible to just snap out of feeling irritability just as it is not possible to snap out of feeling depressed or
manic. However, I have developed some strategies over the years and I thought to share them with you as the following can help ease an irritable mood:

• Avoid busy places, line ups, and driving at all costs because it may add fuel to your irritable mood. Consider asking a friend to run necessary errands that involve line-ups such as going to the grocery store.
• For us ladies who experience pre-menstrual syndrome (PMS), consider making the effort to apply self-care for your situation to help ease the symptoms, which will no doubt contribute to calming your irritable mood.
• Avoid tasks that require a great amount of concentration or stimulation because they may cause a great amount of distress.
• Your shower and/or bath tub can become your best friend and use it often to submerge yourself in warm water and try to stay there for 15 minutes or more to calm your racing mind.
• Ensure to get enough exercise even if that means taking a short walk around the block to blow off some steam.
• If you are able to work, then allow yourself to take breaks because taking a ‘time out’ to sit near the fireplace and/or pet your fellow fur baby can ease your irritability.
• Stick to a sleep schedule ensuring a solid 7-8 hours a night and try your absolute best to not take a nap as applying a healthy sleep routine is key.
• Focus on mindless tasks because your concentration can be affected, so it may be necessary to clean your house rather than doing your taxes that day.
• Remember to take deep breaths and be mindful of your surroundings as irritability can often cause your brain to spin out of control.
• Consider if being alone is better for you as we often tend to snap at others and unknowingly cause hurt feelings.

If you are finding yourself feeling irritable all the time, then discuss this concern with your doctor, but remember that experiencing irritability is often a symptom of bipolar disorder. We sometimes just have to ride the wave and be assured that we can deal with these feelings by applying self-management strategies to help get us through the annoyances. I have found that irritability eventually passes and it does not have to overtake us because we have the power to manage it even when it feels impossible.

Do you deal with bouts of irritability and what self-management strategies do you employ to deal with the overwhelming feelings?

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Andrea Paquette

February 23, 2017 • Volume 10, Issue 8 • Subscribe to Hope & Harmony Headlines

 

Get in the (healthy) habit

Could you stop eating chocolate for one day? Seven days? Forty days?

That’s just what many Christians do for Lent, which starts this coming Wednesday and ends April 13. The long run-up to Easter is known as a time of fasting and abstinence. The observant traditionally “give up” some food or activity they enjoy, or maybe a bad habit like smoking, for this particular six weeks.

Whatever your beliefs, it’s a perfect model for how to make lifestyle changes that contribute to wellness.

To be successful, you need goals that are small, specific, and reasonable for you. Using Lent as a template, think about adding a single healthy element to your diet or daily routine. For example: “I will have fruit with my breakfast.” “I will walk around the block after dinner.”

Commit to charting your hits and misses for at least 40 days. There’s little solid evidence on how long it takes for a new action to feel automatic, but for most people it’s more than the widely quoted “21 days to make a habit.”

In one 2009 study, British researchers followed 96 volunteers and came up with an average of 66 days before a behavior felt habitual. However, individual variation ranged from three weeks to the better part of a year—so be patient with yourself.

Whether you’re establishing a new behavior or unlearning an old one, you’ll increase your odds of success by exploiting your brain’s natural patterns of habit formation.

Learn the five steps to harnessing habit loops in “Making & Breaking Habits.” Read more >>

 

Research: Hippocampus differences in bipolar

January 24, 2017, HOUSTON, TX—Researchers have identified specific areas within the hippocampus, known as subfields, that are smaller in volume as compared to people with major depressive disorder and people with no psychiatric diagnosis. The hippocampus plays an important role in memory, particularly long-term memory, as well as in special navigation. Read more >>

 

Bipolar and Misreading Situations (video)

One of the challenges I have with my bipolar disorder is misreading situations. In the past, this has caused me stress and anxiety. Now I have four questions I ask myself to see if my perception is reality. Watch Dave Mowry’s video blog >>

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