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Wendy’s Changing Behavior

Wendy was a charismatic, high-school junior with sandy blonde hair and blue eyes. She was an athletic young woman who loved sports, drama and music. Her friends described her as a person with high energy, drive and a wide circle of friends. Her friend Alicia said “Wow, she has the energy of two people.” However, Wendy seemed to be changing, and her friends were beginning to find her annoying. They thought she seemed depressed, and they wondered if she had family problems. Alicia remarked, “I don’t get it, one week she’s so revved, and a week later she’s as slow as a turtle.”

Wendy had been staying up late for two weeks, whizzing through respective projects and spending time on Facebook and YouTube. She had a potpourri of hobbies that included fashion design and baking. She loved designing new apparel and writing articles when it comes to her recipes for the school newspaper. She felt positive and abundantly energetic, and her projects kept her busy into the wee hours of the morning. She commonly went to bed around 3 a.m. and would wake up at 7 a.m. sentiment energized for her day at school.

Sometimes Wendy felt like chatting in the middle of the night and would call her best friend, Phillip, at 2 a.m. This conduct seemed rude and irruptive to him, but when he tried to talk to her regarding the problem, she was hard to interrupt, and didn’t seem to be listening. Wendy was experiencing racing thoughts and numerous mood swings, and her friends couldn’t understand what was going on.She was not in particular conscious of these changes, but she loved her extra energy. There was another subtle modify that annoyed her friends — Wendy became boastful, thinking she had attainments beyond her abilities.

She told Phillip that she was going to fetch fame to her hometown by winning at the state tennis match being kept in St. Cloud, Minnesota. Tennis had been percentage of Wendy’s life since she was in elementary school, and now she was a top player on the Minneapolis Mavericks. Her net game had improved, but hard work was necessary to excel in her overall game.Wendy had a good serve and felt that her backhand stroke was strong, and she was in the best aerobic condition ever because she lifted weights, ran on her mother’s treadmill and took Zumba classes. She was superconfident that she would win versus the top-seeded player, and she came all over as boastful when she said, “I’ll show her tennis she hasn’t seen before — I’m going to blow her out of the water.”Although Wendy had always been good at winning matches versus local teams, she had never played at the state level, yet she reveled in her self-confidence.

A History of Anxiety and Depression

Wendy had not always felt self-confident. When she was regarding 12 years old, she started engaged in a struggle with anxiety and depression. She had a great deal of sleep problems, and she now and then felt down, restless and agitated. For a lot of people, sentiment agitated may be a way to mask an inner emptiness. Sometimes Wendy had bad dreams in which she was being chased by someone scary or searching for something she couldn’t find.

After Wendy turned 13, she begun to have days when she felt sluggish and didn’t have her normal interest in her galore activities. Although she had a lot of energy, Wendy had down days when she didn’t feel like doing much. Sometimes, while she was working on a project, she would all of a sudden space out and vaguely sense that inner emptiness again. Her mother said it seemed like Wendy was “somewhere else.”

Problems sleeping, agitation, lethargy, down days and a sentiment of emptiness are a few of the conduct patterns that are mutual amidst teenagers with both bipolar II and/or depressive conditions. At this point it was unclear what condition Wendy had — her sensations or changes could be red flags for an emergent bipolar II condition or a more severe depression, and either may subsist simultaneously with an anxiety disorder. A finish assessment is necessary to accurately target what disorder may be emerging. The emptiness and sluggish days may be part of the depressive side of bipolar; it is mutual for teenagers with bipolar to begin out with depressive sensations or changes altho a heap of teens commence out by experiencing the elevated energy that is the high side of bipolar.

When she was with regards to 14, Wendy was getting worse and at long last talked to her mother in regards to her behavings and feelings. Her mother was worried and took her to see a kinship therapist who had a good reputation with teens. With numerous professional help, Wendy was competent to learn positive coping achievements and manage her sensations or changes well, as a great deal of can. She learned to steadily relax and take necessary quiet time. She continued to exercise daily, which mainly helped with her depression and helped manage her agitation. Additionally, she was in a support group where she made friends with others who had mental health challenges. Wendy made it a habit to go to bed at the same time each night and wake up at the same time each morning to support regulate her sleep. She also made sure to get eight hours of sleep. She still had sleep issues but felt in general rested for the duration of the day.

When she was a high-school freshman, Wendy started seeing a psychiatrist, Dr. Smith, for depression. He had prescribed a low dose of an antidepressant that had helped her, and she in general saw him once each three months. During the amount of time before the state tennis finals, Wendy’s conduct became erratic, and she stopped her relaxation routine, cut back on her exercise and quit the support group. What was actually going on? Fortunately, Wendy’s mother made an appointment for Wendy to see Dr. Smith within a few days.

When she went to see Dr. Smith, Wendy learned that she was exhibiting the sensations or changes of bipolar II. When teenagers have bipolar disorder, it may be difficult for them to maintain good habits because of the depression and the mood swings into “hypomania” (the highs of bipolar II). Wendy was amazed because she had been sentiment at the top of her mental game, mainly because of her exercise, support group and wins on the tennis court. However, the emergent mood swings were making it difficult for Wendy to maintain her healthful habits, and she necessitated an altered treatment plan based on her new diagnosis. She was exceptionally concerned that her agitated conduct would push away her friends and that depression would affect her tennis game.

The Different Types of Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar disorder is multidimensional in nature, and because of this, experts are now taking into account bipolar I, bipolar II, cyclothymia and bipolar NOS as the “bipolar spectrum.” Here are the dissimilar types:

• Bipolar I is identified by sequences alternating amongst manic periods of unnatural euphoria, optimism, and energy and depressive periods of sadness, helplessness, guilt feelings and occasionally suicidal feelings. People with bipolar I may experience hallucinations and delusions while those with bipolar II do not.
• Bipolar II is marked by major depressive sequences alternating with sequences of hypomania, a milder form of mania. People with bipolar II depression often have exceedingly low energy, slowed mental and physical processes, and unfathomed fatigue. People with bipolar II struggle more with chronic depression while humans with bipolar I struggle much more with mania.
• Cyclothymia is a chronic mood disturbance lasting for at least two years (one year in adolescents) involving a great deal of hypomanic sequences and numerous periods of lowspirited mood that aren’t severe sufficient to meet the criteria for a major depressive or a manic episode.
• Bipolar NOS (Not Otherwise Specified) describes a disorder with manic or hypomanic features that does not meet the criteria for any specific bipolar disorder.

Much exploration has been done on bipolar I, but less attention has been focalized on bipolar II and bipolar NOS. People with bipolar II don’t have the psychotic features or uttermost elevated moods of bipolar I, and hypomania commonly doesn’t cause significant distress or principally impair one’s daily life. However, some exploration gives evidence of that bipolar II can be severe because of the chronic and deep depressions that these people struggle with. Nevertheless, with advances in education, more humans are getting diagnosed, new medications and treatment schemes are being developed, and further exploration continues.

It is in particular crucial to diagnose and treat teenagers with bipolar disorder because the condition may interfere with healthful growth and development: mood shifts may cause a decline in school performance and a loss of friends, and exuberant sleep may waste priceless life opportunities. Bipolar also causes unnecessary pain and suffering, which may lead to substance abuse and now and again suicide in untreated young people.

If your teen talks regarding suicide, it is essential to take it seriously. Call your doctor, or if the doctor isn’t available, contact 911 or your nearest hotline. Make each venture to get your teen in a help group for teens with mental health challenges, and, if you are a parent, undertake your best to get your teen to a therapist.

Diagnosing Bipolar II

Dr. Smith had been treating Wendy for assorted years, but this was the primary time he had assessed her for bipolar II. In order to meet the criteria for this condition, a history of depression and at least one episode of hypomania are necessary. Bipolar II often goes undetected because of difficultnesses with a clear definition and a lack of understanding of hypomania. Bipolar II is often misdiagnosed because of the overlap with other conditions such as anxiety, depression, oppositional disorder and ADHD.

While most of Wendy’s friends were troubled by her neverending talking and boastful attitude, they admired her confidence, endless energy, and respective talents. These characteristics may make bipolar II even more challenging to diagnose because the hypomania may appear to be a amount of time of successful high productivity and happiness. Because hypomania may cause a person to feel good, it is reported less often times than a painful depression.

Dr. Smith believed Wendy was experiencing hypomania based on her grandiosity with regards to winning the state championships, her need for little sleep and her rapid talking. Upon questioning from the doctor, Wendy shared that she had been experiencing an increase in her sex drive but figured it was normal for her age. This cluster of sensations or changes confirmed a bipolar II diagnosis and the need for an adjustment in her medication. Dr. Smith explained bipolar II to Wendy, but she refused that she had it, explaining that she was just buzzed regarding the upcoming championships.

People with bipolar II distinctively don’t have the severe mood swings of bipolar I patients, but they may be prone to longer depressive episodes. Teenagers with bipolar II disorder may often times commence out with the depressive side of bipolar, and helping pros may believe that the patient has unipolar depression. If a person has a history of substance abuse, eating disorders, schizophrenia and/or major mood disorders, it’s important to realize that these are red flags for bipolar; however, not all people with this background get this disorder.

Of course, there are a share of cases where hypomania causes significant distress, and it’s primary to detect hypomania early on. Some exploration suggests that teens are more prone to automati accidents and may suffer a decline in grades because of the distractibility caused by racing thoughts.There are a good deal of faces of hypomania that may support you distinguish the disorder; however, do not forget that any one person has a cluster of sensations or changes and not all of them.

Wendy didn’t like the term “hypomania” for the fantasti sensations she was experiencing, and she didn’t want to take any further and added medication. Dr. Smith was concerned when Wendy refused to take the commended medication because ignoring hypomania may make bipolar II worse and perhaps lead to the more severe bipolar I. People with bipolar I may lose touch with reality, so it is primary to stop the progression of low-end bipolar conditions.

Fortunately, with education, Dr. Smith was capable to convince Wendy to take a mood stabilizer to regulate her mood and keep treating her depression. He also referred Wendy to me because I have a distinguishing trait with bipolar II in teenagers. I taught Wendy a potpourri of coping achievements that will be discussed in the section on treatment interventions.

Bipolar II and Hypomania

Most persons with bipolar II experience a cluster of hypomania symptoms, but not all of them.The majority of the highs of bipolar II include the following symptoms:

• grandiosity
• a decreased need for sleep
• distractibility
• racing thoughts
• rapid speech, interrupting while others are speaking
• excess energy
• hypersexuality
• a tendency to engage in reckless behavior
• irritability
• silly behavior

*See underneath for elaborate info in regards to these symptoms.

Grandiosity: Grandiosity is an exaggerated sense of one’s importance, knowledge, power, or identity. A person with grandiosity may seem outrageously boastful, pompous, or pretentious.

Hypersexuality: Hypersexual conduct is an exuberant interest in, or preoccupation with, sex and a markedly increased need for sexual gratification. A person experiencing hypersexuality may appear to be obsessed with sex. In bipolar disorder, hypersexuality is often seen along with a distinct alter in a person’s conduct and personality.

Many humans with bipolar II do not experience hypersexuality, but it was getting a problem for Wendy. When she was hypersexual, she would masturbate three times a day and spend time buying sexy clothes, which she didn’t wear when she was in a stabilized mood. Usually, she was somewhat timid around guys, but for the duration of a amount of time of hypomania, she would become provocative and seductive. When she recovered from a hypersexual episode, she said she felt guilty because sleeping with a boy she hardly knew was wholly out of reputation for her. Fortunately, the right medication (a mood stabilizer) helped her gain control of her urges before she could be injure or become pregnant at an early age. Hypersexuality is an aspect of bipolar that is reportedly seldom investigated, and education is primarily necessitated in regards to this symptom.

Silly behavior: Another symptom of hypomania is foolish and goofy behavior. Sometimes Wendy became foolish around her friends and roared at her own jokes and goofy behavior. For example, she would make a steady stream of puns allround the day, and though her friends thought she was funny, they turned away when she wouldn’t stop.

The Depression of Bipolar

Bipolar I is considered the more severe disorder because of the accompanying psychotic behavior, but people with bipolar II in general have more chronic depression than those with bipolar I. Wendy had been diagnosed with depression when she was a freshman in high school. She would get periodic sequences where she just wanted to sleep, felt pessimistic and dwelled on negative thoughts. Wendy told me that she tried to think of something positive when she was depressed, but she couldn’t even get a picture in her mind.

Life seemed to have no meaning for Wendy, and she lost interest in her general activities. I worked with her to construct a road map to help her get moving because “action, action, action” is necessary to treating depression. Accomplishing tasks tardily and successively along with therapy and a aid group may aid a teen gradually pull out of a depression.

Based on my broad experience with teenagers and young adults with depression, I wrote a poem that describes the lethargy of depression, and reading it has helped galore teens in my exercise to open up. Encourage your child, teen or patient to find ways to express their pain because expressing pain may aid release it. Here is a verse from that poem:

Toes cold, same socks mold for days in a row.

Feeling stuck behind a barbed wire fence.

©2006 Patrice Wolters

In therapy, I helped Wendy find words to express her feelings. Here is a verse from her poem:

I don’t want to walk and I don’t want to talk

They call it depression, down days in succession

Focus on helping your teen or patient formulate numerous sort of mental health poetry to support them win a victory over their distinctive issues. Remember that humans think in distorted ways when they are depressed, which only makes them more depressed. Educate teens in the cultivation of endowing thoughts and support them to make it a every day habit. Teach them to use negative thoughts as a trigger for repeating their endowing mantras.

Bipolar and Drug Abuse

A share of humans with undetected bipolar II conditions may abuse drugs such as methamphetamine, which helps people escape the chronic lows of bipolar II. Methamphetamine may energize downhearted persons and get them up and out, getting things done. However, they subsequently crash, become more depressed, and end up in a dangerous cycle. They gradually need more of the drug, and it kills off primary brain cells. The possibleness of drug abuse is another argument for early identification of bipolar conditions. Alcohol abuse is also mutual because it self-medicates the pain and chronic irritability of bipolar II depression.

Research gives evidence of that college students abuse prescription drugs, and I suppose that the rate is in particular high amid students with depression and an undetected bipolar condition. The demand for counselors in colleges has mainly increased, but numerous colleges don’t have the necessary services to meet students’ needs. Bipolar appears most often times after kids have left home and are in their early twenties.

If you have a patient or teenager who you believe is using drugs, make each venture to get him or her to a drug specialist who has noesis of mood disorders. Involvement in a Narcotics Anonymous or Alcoholics Anonymous program has also been successful and often times provides a good support group for people attempting to quit addictive behavior.

Drugs are a dead-end street, and most persons with bipolar conditions need to get on the right medication. A reasonably little percentage of humans with bipolar disorder are competent to manage without medication and lead successful lives. A healthful lifestyle and a potpourri of cultivated mood management achievements may enable these humans to live fulfilling lives. If your patient or teen doesn’t want to take medication, make sure they eat well, sleep well and stay involved in activenesses they enjoy. Of course, help them use the positive coping achievements discussed in this article.

The Bright Side of Bipolar

Important exploration has been done regarding the special gifts of persons with bipolar conditions. Research by Dr. Kay Jamison gives evidence of that galore of our gifted poets, actors, politicians, and painters had bipolar conditions. Abraham Lincoln, Winston Churchill, Catherine Zeta Jones and Robin Williams are a few of those with bipolar who have had remarkable success. There are numerous people, in a range of professions, who are making substantial contributions when they are efficaciously treated for bipolar. In my practice, I have found that galore teenagers with bipolar are highly gifted and want to make substantial contributions with their talents. It’s necessary to realize that the high energy, ability to create and goal-oriented conduct patterns of bipolar II may enable humans to make major contributions to society and/or be highly successful.

One area that needs exploration is the originative management of hypomanic sensations or changes for success in life. For example, racing thoughts may be applied for brainstorming, journaling and originative writing. For a person who commits to the practice, meditation or a martial art may calm thoughts down and help to open new vistas. Writing in regards to sensations or changes may enable a teen to work through issues, solve difficultnesses and move toward positive goals. The chronic irritability and hypersexuality of bipolar II may motivate people to start out a daily fitness program and stay fit for life. People with bipolar II may likewise learn to channel their irritability into assertiveness and get a lot accomplished.

Working through a depression requires teens to develop resiliency (the capacity to master the biological and psychological challenges of life) and take obligation for their moods and behaviors. Additionally, cultivating discipline and a aid network helps bipolar teens cope with their sensations or changes and invent success skills. Teens may become compassionate and sensible to the pain of others when they deal with the depressive side of bipolar, and this may motivate them to become involved in crucial social causes.

Overcoming a depression is a struggle that allows young people to invent a potpourri of intensities and capacities such as willpower, ego strength, flexibility, patience, persistence and, most importantly, responsibility. Bipolar conditions provide an ongoing challenge for teens to find their outer limits in life and become multidimensional people. I like to call this “the bipolar challenge.”

Positive Coping Skills

We have come a long way in terms of treatment for bipolar conditions, and a great deal of humans gain from a combining of therapy and medication. Nevertheless, more exploration is necessitated in determining how humans may manage this challenging illness. There are various important accomplishments that may support teenagers, and adults, with bipolar disorder.

Determination: One of the most crucial things to construct is a determination to make positive coping achievements lifelong friends and to turn sensations or changes into assets. Here is a verse to give your teens if they struggle with lethargy and lack of persistence. Positive thinking in a rhyme format will help teens do not forget necessary mental maps that may help them get up and get going. Adults may likewise support teens write their own rhymes based on inspiring words that motivate them. Do whatsoever works!

Persistence

I may pull myself up versus my own resistance

That I may fabricate the world that I want.

©2006 by Patrice Wolters

Focus on health and strength: Teenagers with bipolar disorder in general need a assortment of outlets for their energy and good schemes to pull out of a depression. They often require a good deal of form of medication, the gain of a healthful diet, and good sleep hygiene. Since bipolar teens may feel bad when it comes to themselves, it’s necessary to aid guide them to think realistically and optimistically when it comes to their condition and to help cultivate their strengths.

Teach your teens and persons who requires medical care to write their amount of energy on an index card and have them post it where they may see it steadily to remind them of their strengths. People with bipolar disorder, and depression, need to find positive thoughts to replace the chronic negative ones. Remind your teens that they are brilliant, gifted and resourceful (or whatsoever words might inspire them).

Postponement: Hypersexual conduct had a compulsive quality for Wendy, but the medication decreased the intensity of her urges and helped her settle down. Still, she necessitated a heap of schemes to control her urges, so I taught Wendy to use postponement to manage her sexual urges. When she felt hypersexual, Wendy learned to take charge of her thinking by saying to herself “I may postpone this urge and get something physical done instead.” She would often lift weights, run or work on an not finished project. With practice, Wendy learned to invent the habit of postponing her desires to masturbate, go to parties, and buy sexy clothes. Wendy gradually learned to be more in charge of her hypomania and devised a lot of self-esteem as a result. She once in a while reflected, “I may do anything I set my mind to.”

Wendy also made use of a thinking tool I invented called “Take charge, channel and change.” When she felt a sexual urge, she would talk to herself in a proactive and realistic manner by saying something like “Okay, I’m starting to feel hypersexual, and this is a signal that I need to get moving with my projects. I am ‘in charge’ of my moods. Right now, I’m going to postpone acting on these urges and ‘channel’ my energy to get a project done. It’s dangerous to act on these urges, and I will not. I am in charge of me, and I may ‘change’ galore each day.” These realistic thinking patterns helped Wendy take charge of her sexual urges. Learning to postpone any conduct that feels exuberant or intense may be challenging at first, but it may do wonders for self-esteem and a sense of empowerment.

Wendy made up a list of the following projects to get involved in when she felt either hypomanic or depressed. The projects required a push with the persistence rhyme, but they were easy physical tasks that gave her a sense of accomplishment and got her moving through the challenging symptoms.

• Clean room
• Organize closet
• Wash clothes
• Iron clothes
• Clean bathroom
• Run, exercise tennis or weight train
• Vacuum room

These were all things that she could do at home, and they provided a focus for her exuberant energy. When broken down into mini-steps, the projects also provided a focus for when she was depressed, and they facilitated “change.” Wendy was artistic, so she produced a picture with the tasks drawn in cartoons that helped her get going when she felt down.

Of course, Wendy would still get numerous urges while involved in her projects, but she practiced bringing her mind back to the task at hand. The statement”I am in charge, I may channel and I may change” became her mantra to get started, follow through and finish each day living tasks. The completion of tasks reinforces positive thinking, which ultimately became a mind-set for Wendy.

Get up and going — 1-2-3-4: When Wendy was depressed, her biggest challenge was to get out of bed. Together, Wendy and I laid out an firstborn 1-2-3-4 procedure that would get her up and going on the weekends. This procedure has helped a heap of teenagers with bipolar depression beat the bipolar blues. It has likewise helped those with unipolar depression.

1. Lie in bed and set a priority for the day. When Wendy was depressed, her priority was ofttimes to get out and exercise a great deal of tennis because she knew it helped her mood. Most any athletic action is an effective treatment for depression.
2. Shout, “Two, I may bust my mood!” and jump out of bed. Just getting up is a huge accomplishment when a person is depressed, and shouting gets the energy going.
3. Make the bed. This gives a beginning sense of accomplishment and makes it harder to get back in bed.
4. Get a cup of coffee or tea, and eat a great deal of breakfast to provide nutrients for the day and get galore energy flowing.

At this point, it was time to carry out the next four steps and to proceed this procedure all around the day. Built into this behavioral pattern was breaking Wendy’s day into little tasks that helped her build a great deal of momentum. While humans vary on their steps, the next four for Wendy consisted of the following:

1. Put on makeup.
2. Brush teeth and floss.
3. Get dressed.
4. Get out the door.

Once she was out in the fresh air and on her way to the tennis court, the probability of her going back to bed was low. Encourage your teen or patient to give rise to a routine and make it a habit. Using numbers or galore type of sequence may facilitate breaking steps down to support teens get moving and begin to beat the blues. Talking or singing to themselves may be helpful because action is the name of the game. Teens who are not in treatment for bipolar disorder may get support from healthful friends, community groups, or trusted ministers.

Learn to master procrastination: Many downhearted people procrastinate because their motivation and energy are low, but they may move toward creating positive energy by getting things done that they don’t want to do. The trick is to set apart galore time for the completion of unpleasing tasks. Wendy didn’t like her history teacher, and she oftentimes arrived late to class. It was her initial class of the day, so it was easy to sleep in longer. She would imagine how boring the class would be and think, “Well, I’ll be on time tomorrow,” but her tomorrows became a string of yesterdays, and she had a D intermediate by the middle of the semester.

So, Wendy was to get started her day by imagining how good she would feel with a B in the class. She was to schedule “History at 9 a.m.” on her iPod and get to class no matter of her mood. If she was depressed, tired, anxious or unmotivated, she was to get up and go anyway. Taking charge of this problem and other aversive tasks gave Wendy positive energy and a sense of empowerment because she was taking care of business. Learning to push through lethargy is a habit that may gradually transform your world.

Bipolar II is a challenging condition, but it is treatable. Knowing the early sensations or changes of this condition may increase the probability of an precise diagnosis in your teen, your patient or yourself. You may do something in regards to bipolar, and you may get well. Remember, you are not your illness, you have an illness, and I give hope or courage to you to form mood management habits for a fulfilling life. Although social stigma may still cause substantial shame regarding coming forward with bipolar symptoms, you may be one of the humans who seek help, and help may make all the divergence in the world. Remember there is hope, there is help and it may be just a phone call away.

Extremely Funny Treadmill Accident Pic

Extremely Funny Treadmill Accident Pic

Extremely Funny Treadmill Accident Pic

Extremely Funny Treadmill Accident Picture