Parent of a Teenager with Bipolar Disorder? Why What Teens Worry About Matters….

Teenagers have the same symptoms as adults with bipolar disorder, but how they see the illness is quite different. This is especially true when it comes to WORRY.

The worries of a teen are different than adult worries and this must be reflected in how we help teens manage this illness.

Teenagers care about….what others think, their short term future, friends, who said what to whom, dating, studying, being popular, electronic devices, music, school and the pressures of substance use. (Just to name a very few!)

These are very different than the adult worries of supporting themselves, supporting others, divorce, retirement, work, raising children, making money, changing the world and mortgages. It’s easy to compare these lists and discount teen worries as superficial- but they are never superficial to the teens themselves.

 

Teens also live in a world where nothing is private. They can easily make huge mistakes on social media when they are in a mood swing. They communicate through text sound bites, worry about what others will think far more than adults do and often have to deal with too many pressures to succeed in our fast paced world.

When you talk with a teen about bipolar disorder, think of what it means to them to have the illness, not what it would mean to an adult.

Julie

Related posts:
How do I know the difference between teenage behavior and teenage bipolar disorder behavior?
My Bp Magazine Blog Post: Does My Teenager Have Bipolar Disorder?
WEB MD article on childhood onset bipolar disorder pt one