What this article failed to mention is that some young teens/young adults ‘grow out of’ bipolar disorder. This is true in my experience with my child and an ex-friend. Bipolar is nothing more than a person escaping REALITY, their excuse is bipolar. When they get their way they are happy, when they don’t get their way they become depressed, suicidal, unhappy. I’ve seen it, when faced with reality they cannot escape or responsibilities some people suddenly have a miraculous cure.

One of the ironies of this terrible illness is that we have had a blood test that can easily detect people who are susceptible to bipolar mood swings for over 30 years. An enzyme called monoamine oxidate regulates the metabolism of substances that are disturbed in bioplar people. The same enzyme can be found in blood platelets. The brain enzyme and the blood platelet enzyme have the same activity. Although the test has been used successfully in research, its use in clinical medicine has been very limited. The human brain is a wonderous organ, but our brains have been primed by evolution to protect us and our knowledge – including a very effective “don’t go there” prohibition against intrusions of any kind, even a simple blood test has been stalled for decades.

I wish people would not arrogantly generalize a disorder because their own experiences didn’t quite fit the category. Shame on so many here who play this down. Yes, we live in a society where often simple denial can breed excuses and often professionals will quickly jump to buzz-word diagnoses. HOWEVER, most reputable doctors take things like this seriously and will not just quickly jump to any diagnosis. I don’t believe this is something you outgrow. I believe if you had/were a child with symptoms that mirror this and once they’ve/you’ve reached adulthood and those symptoms have simply vanished it was more than likely NOT Manic Depressive Disorder. It is a very real and very accepted disorder, that being said, it’s not something to “outgrow”. One might learn how to cope with or live with it but those are rarely going to be the more severe cases.

I have a sister with this disorder and she was mis-diagnosed with numerous other disorders before a doctor finally listened to my mother and myself telling her full spectrum of problems. Only then has she received the proper treatment and her life is now almost back to normally-functioning.

Please, if you have been told your child has this and now they seem fine consider yourself lucky that they were probably misdiagnosed and don’t have to deal with this REAL nightmare of a disorder. It is not an excuse! It’s a friggin well-documented, studied and accepted mental disorder!

I feel very sorry for whomever the child of momofbipolar is. She is obviously uneducated, or downright to stubborn to open her mind and learn. Try reading a book. The temer tantrums, attention getting, all of it, is related to a chemical imbalance, and yes some to being a teen. Period. If you are a true bipolar, you never grow out of it, not ever. It is humanly impossible. Once the gene is expressed it’s there for life. Are there people called “light bi polar’s” that can function with occasional or no medication? Yes, but they don’t grow out of it, their symptoms are just manageable. You make me ill. I just want to hug your child and let them know there are people who do understand and that they are not alone. Being a teen is hard enough without having to fight bipolar an an idiot of a mother who is bitter she has a harder job to do than others. Put your big girls panties on and get over it! This is the hand you were dealt, help your child and quit feeling sorry for yourself! ugh!

Somebody posted that bipolar people are just have bad moods when they dont get their way. That is not true at all. I have bipolar disorder and i know that it results from problems with the brain and depression happens even when nobody says anything to make you upset. So saying that bipolar people throw temper tantrums when they dont get their way is completely wrong. And no it never goes away if you have bipolar disorder you will struggle with it your whole life. It has nothing to do with what is going on in your life its about a mental disorder that cannot be changed.

Clearly the only people caring to comment on this article are ignorant morons who have no understanding of psychology. I have suffered from bipolar disorder since i was around 13 years old and it is a very real, terrifying, and crippling disease. You people apparently have never suffered from mental illness or had to watch someone you love suffer from it so until you do, keep your ignorant uneducated “opinions” to yourself.

Is their really any good medication for a bipolar patient? Just looking for suggestions.

Bi-polar is real and often misdiagnosed. When we were chldren my two brothers and I loved our sister but we did not like her, little did we know her attitude and behavior were even then probably related to her mood swings. She attempted suicide at age 17 and has had the usual pattern of self mediating until finally getting the proper medications. Pleae understand that this is a medical condition like diabetes or cancer. You cannot “will” it away. -Lana, RN, MSN