January and February have always been the hardest time of the year for me to manage my symptoms, which can range from severe depression to mania. One year was particularly difficult, however. My father passed away on New Year’s Day in 2008.
He was very ill throughout the holidays and we all knew his death was [...]

TUESDAY, Oct. 27, 2009 (Health.com) — Schizophrenia drugs, increasingly prescribed to children with bipolar disorder and other conditions, can cause youngsters to experience rapid weight gain, according to a new study.
Christoph U. Correll, MD, of Albert Einstein College of Medicine, in the Bronx, N.Y., and his colleagues found that children and adolescents who take the [...]

MONDAY, Oct. 5, 2009 (Health.com) — More than 1 in 10 women develops depression during pregnancy. Now, a new study suggests that women who are treated with antidepressants are more likely to give birth early or to have newborns that need to spend time in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).
Depression itself can have ill [...]

MONDAY, Oct. 5 (Health.com) — Some children and teens are more likely than their peers to become addicted to the Internet, and a new study suggests it’s more likely to happen if kids are depressed, hostile, or have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or social phobia.
Although an Internet addiction is not an official diagnosis, signs [...]

The rituals of college—making new friends, studying until dawn, excessive partying—can stress out any young adult. But students with bipolar disorder, or those at risk for the condition, are even more vulnerable in a college environment. Academic pressures, social concerns, and sleep disruptions can lead to bouts of depression as well as mania, the [...]

Paige Hemmis is a self-taught carpenter and a member of the design team on ABC’s Emmy Award-winning Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. Although you’d never know it from the sunny personality she exhibits on the show, she has been diagnosed with (and treated for) major depression. In April 2009, Hemmis teamed up with Wyeth Pharmaceuticals on [...]

Parents usually enjoy seeing their own characteristics reflected in their children, such as a daughter’s green eyes or a son’s shyness. But studies show that bipolar disorder also runs in families, and experts say that most people who are living with the illness can identify at least one relative who has bipolar disorder or depression. [...]

Medication is the primary treatment for bipolar disorder in children and teens (as it is in adults). Nine out of ten young people who are diagnosed with bipolar disorder are prescribed drugs. The most commonly prescribed medications are mood stabilizers, antipsychotics, and antidepressants.
“If your child is bipolar, he or she will need to take a [...]

Bipolar disorder looks different in children and teens than it does in adults. Though young people often exhibit some of the classic symptoms of bipolar disorder—including depression, irritability, excess energy, and hypersexuality—there are some differences that can make bipolar disorder difficult to recognize. Young people often don’t have sustained and clearly defined manic episodes, for [...]

You’ve read up on bipolar disorder and think it may be causing your intense mood swings and problems with relationships at school or work.
But you aren’t sure. Your symptoms—or those of the spouse, child, or friend you’re worried about—also resemble those of other mental disorders, such as depression, borderline personality disorder, anxiety disorder, schizophrenia, or [...]