The Nexus Teen Academy editorial and clinical team is dedicated to providing informative and accurate content to help families who are struggling with adolescent behavioral health problems. The editorial team works directly with the clinical team to ensure information is accurate and up-to-date.
To do this, our team uses the following editorial guidelines:
We generally only cite government and peer-reviewed studies
Scientific claims and data are backed by qualified sources
Content is updated to ensure we are citing the most up-to-date data and information
Clinically reviewed by Executive Director Hannah Carr, LPC
Executive Director Hannah Carr, LPC
Hannah graduated from Arizona State University with her Bachelor’s in Psychology and Master’s in Counseling and is a Licensed Professional Counselor in Arizona. She began her work as a therapist 12 years ago in South Phoenix with an intensive outpatient program for teens and their families. She joined Nexus in the residential program as the clinical director, eventually being promoted to the executive director, creating and building the clinical program structure and a strong culture focused on redirecting the trajectory of young lives.
The Nexus Teen Academy Editorial Staff is composed of writers, editors, and clinical reviewers with many years of experience writing about mental health and behavioral health treatment. Our team utilizes peer-reviewed, clinical studies from sources like SAMHSA to ensure we provide the most accurate and current information.
Bipolar disorder is a manageable mood disorder that affects diverse age groups, including adolescents. Teens with bipolar disorder often exhibit manic and depressive symptoms. Manic symptoms are associated with heightened energy or activity, while depressive symptoms are usually debilitating. Unfortunately, promptly recognizing bipolar symptoms in teens can be challenging, as they may overlap with other disorders or typical teen behavior.
At Nexus Teen Academy, we understand what teen bipolar disorder entails. To help you identify its early signs and intervene effectively, we will discuss the common symptoms, how manic and depressive episodes manifest in teens, the diagnostic process, and how to support teens during treatment and recovery. Contact us for immediate and long-term assistance with teen bipolar disorder.
Although moodiness can be typical during adolescence, bipolar disorder often causes extreme and persistent mood swings. Teens may experience euphoric highs and crushing lows in quick succession, without any notable triggers.
Behavioral Shifts
Sudden, noticeable behavioral changes often signify an emerging issue. Here are a few examples:
Unusual energy surges followed by profound exhaustion
A significant shift in academic performance
Neglecting crucial tasks or pursuing unrealistic projects
Social Withdrawal
Isolation is a serious red flag and may be a sign of a more severe problem. Pay attention if a formerly social teenager:
Withdraws from friends or previously enjoyed activities
Displays unwarranted anger and distrust towards their family members
Suddenly changes peer groups, often choosing riskier groups
Consider a professional assessment if the above symptoms persist for several weeks.
Manic Bipolar Symptoms in Teens
Bipolar-related mania does not always manifest as extreme happiness. It can also present itself as intense anger or irritability. Here are the common manic symptoms associated with bipolar disorder:
Elevated or Irritable Mood
Teens may exhibit the following behaviors during a manic episode:
Look strangely cheerful, boastful, or giddy
Show extreme irritability. They may lash out over minor issues
Talk rapidly and excessively, including about unrelated topics
Grandiose Thinking or Risk-Taking
Manic bipolar episodes among teens are commonly characterized by unrealistic confidence in one’s abilities without proper evidence or engaging in risky behaviors like reckless driving. Such behaviors may cause serious consequences if not promptly addressed.
Decreased Need for Sleep
One of the defining symptoms of bipolar-related mania is needing minimal sleep without getting exhausted. Teenagers with bipolar disorder may sleep for 2-3 hours only and still have unlimited energy the next day. Unfortunately, chronic sleep deprivation may complicate diagnosis and worsen symptoms.
Distractibility or Racing Thoughts
Teens with bipolar disorder may rapidly jump from one topic or task to another (without finishing one) or struggle to focus on things they previously loved. This restlessness not only affects the teenager but also those around them.
Depressive Bipolar Symptoms in Teens
The depressive phase of bipolar disorder usually impairs teenagers’ daily functioning and can be dangerous if not recognized and addressed early. Here are the associated symptoms:
Persistent Sadness or Hopelessness
Persistent sadness and hopelessness during depressive bipolar episodes commonly manifest in the following ways:
Tearfulness
Constant negativity
Feelings of emptiness or numbness and outward apathy
A bleak outlook on school, life, and relationships.
Lack of Interest in Activities
Teens with bipolar disorder may withdraw from activities they previously enjoyed or display little to no enthusiasm for anything, including formerly exciting events.
Fatigue and Sleep Changes
Teenagers’ sleeping patterns often change dramatically during depressive episodes. They may either oversleep (hypersomnia) or struggle falling asleep (insomnia). Fatigue, signified by excessive tiredness during the day, can also be common during this period. It may lead to irritability or academic struggles.
Feeling of Worthlessness and Guilt
Feelings of guilt and worthlessness are common during depressive episodes. Teens may blame themselves unnecessarily, feel like a burden to their peers, and harbor intense self-criticism.
Thoughts of Death or Suicide
Suicidal ideation and death-related thoughts are the most alarming signs of bipolar-related depression. If you are worried that your teen is having suicidal thoughts, seek professional help immediately.
How Bipolar Disorder is Diagnosed in Teens
Diagnosing teen bipolar disorder is often complicated. Symptoms may overlap with other mental health conditions like depression, anxiety, and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), or even typical teen behavior. Lack of proper, specialized evaluation may lead to a misdiagnosis.
Why Diagnosis is Complex in Adolescents
It is easy to misinterpret signs when diagnosing teen bipolar disorder, adolescence often causes hormonal changes and emotional fluctuation that may mirror bipolar symptoms. As a result, risk-taking behaviors may be dismissed as teen rebellion, while the characteristic mood swings can be written off as typical adolescent behavior.
Steps to an Accurate Diagnosis
When diagnosing teen bipolar disorder, mental health professionals normally go through the following steps:
Comprehensive psychiatric evaluation: It assesses mood patterns, helping treatment professionals rule out other conditions.
Conducting relevant interviews: Treatment professionals often conduct family interviews after psychiatric evaluation to identify genetic risk factors.
Mood tracking: Specialists track the teenager’s moods over weeks or months to identify manic or depressive patterns.
Time and careful observation are crucial for accurate teen bipolar disorder diagnosis.
Role of Pediatric Psychiatrists
Connect your teenager with a pediatric psychiatrist specializing in adolescent mood disorders for the best results. They often understand the intricacies of teen mental health and can easily tailor appropriate treatment plans and ensure they are catered to your son or daughter’s specific situation.
Supporting a Teen with Bipolar Symptoms
Teens struggling with bipolar disorder need adequate support for long-term stability and recovery. You should listen to them without judgment, encourage them to express their emotions through journaling, help them uphold routine and sleep hygiene.
Listening Without Judgement
Non-judgmental listening fosters trust and helps create a safe space for teens displaying bipolar disorder symptoms to share their feelings without fearing punishment or ridicule. They also feel validated, encouraging them to open up.
Keeping a Mood Journal
Journaling can help teenagers identify potential mood episode triggers. A well-maintained and updated journal can also help clinicians diagnose and treat bipolar disorder. Encourage your teenager to track their daily moods, energy levels, sleep patterns, and significant events using a mood journal.
Since supporting a teen with bipolar disorder can be overwhelming, you can also consider keeping your journal. Use it to track your energy levels during the teenager’s treatment and recovery journey.
Promoting Routine and Sleep Hygiene
Foster a stable daily routine by helping your teenager adhere to consistent sleep, meal, and activity schedules. For better sleep hygiene, ensure your teenager limits their late-night screen time and prioritizes night-time relaxation routines that encourage sleep. Remember, quality sleep often reduces the severity of bipolar-related mood episodes.
Avoiding Substance Use
You should eliminate anything that may trigger mood episodes from your teen’s environment. Keep the home drug and alcohol-free, as teens with bipolar disorder can choose to self-medicate with drugs or alcohol to escape intense emotions.
Treatment Options for Teens With Bipolar Disorder Symptoms
Effective teen bipolar disorder treatment often involves a combination of interventions, which must be tailored to the teenager’s needs and condition severity. These include psychotherapy, collaborative care, and medication. Below is an in-depth exploration:
Psychotherapy
Treatment professionals use psychotherapy to equip teens and families with practical tools for navigating bipolar disorder. Our Nexus Teen Academy professionals administer the following evidence-based therapies during teen bipolar treatment for the best outcomes:
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy:CBT for teenshelps adolescents identify and address negative thought patterns.
Family-Ffocused Ttherapy: This therapeutic technique involves family members in teen treatment. It helps improve a teenager’s communication and support systems.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy:DBT techniquesfoster emotional regulation and coping skill development in teens.
We often tailor the therapeutic interventions above to specific teenagers for personalized treatment.
Medication
Teen bipolar disorder is classified as a mood disorder. In some instances, treatment professionals use medications to stabilize the teenager’s mood or prevent severe episodes. Common drugs used to treat teen bipolar symptoms include:
Mood stabilizers: Medications like lithium can help stabilize moods during severe episodes.
Antidepressants: Psychiatrists may prescribe antidepressants during teen bipolar disorder treatment during depressive episodes. However, they must be used cautiously.
Atypical antipsychotics: These are often administered to manage manic or mixed episodes.
Teen bipolar disorder medications should be prescribed and supervised by a qualified psychiatrist.
Collaborative Care
Collaborative care helps create a safety net for teens undergoing mental health treatment. Most treatment centers involve teachers, caregivers, family members, and therapists in teen bipolar treatment. Besides creating a strong support network, it ensures everyone is collaborating towards the teen’s stability and success.
Teen Bipolar Treatment at Nexus Teen Academy
While living with teen bipolar disorder can be challenging, it is manageable. At Nexus Teen Academy, we offer specialized intervention, tailored treatment, and unwavering support to help teens with bipolar disorder thrive socially, emotionally, and academically.
If your teenager is struggling with bipolar disorder, contact us for support, hope, healing, and resilience. You can improve their outcome through early intervention, normalizing treatment, and reminding them that their diagnosis does not define their potential.
Executive Director Hannah Carr, LPC and nexus_admin
Common Bipolar Disorder Symptoms in Teens
FACT CHECKED
The Nexus Teen Academy editorial and clinical team is dedicated to providing informative and accurate content to help families who are struggling with adolescent behavioral health problems. The editorial team works directly with the clinical team to ensure information is accurate and up-to-date.
To do this, our team uses the following editorial guidelines:
Clinically reviewed by Executive Director Hannah Carr, LPC
Executive Director Hannah Carr, LPC
Hannah graduated from Arizona State University with her Bachelor’s in Psychology and Master’s in Counseling and is a Licensed Professional Counselor in Arizona. She began her work as a therapist 12 years ago in South Phoenix with an intensive outpatient program for teens and their families. She joined Nexus in the residential program as the clinical director, eventually being promoted to the executive director, creating and building the clinical program structure and a strong culture focused on redirecting the trajectory of young lives.
Published By Nexus Teen Academy
Nexus Teen Academy
The Nexus Teen Academy Editorial Staff is composed of writers, editors, and clinical reviewers with many years of experience writing about mental health and behavioral health treatment. Our team utilizes peer-reviewed, clinical studies from sources like SAMHSA to ensure we provide the most accurate and current information.
Published On July 6, 2025
Table of Contents
Bipolar disorder is a manageable mood disorder that affects diverse age groups, including adolescents. Teens with bipolar disorder often exhibit manic and depressive symptoms. Manic symptoms are associated with heightened energy or activity, while depressive symptoms are usually debilitating. Unfortunately, promptly recognizing bipolar symptoms in teens can be challenging, as they may overlap with other disorders or typical teen behavior.
At Nexus Teen Academy, we understand what teen bipolar disorder entails. To help you identify its early signs and intervene effectively, we will discuss the common symptoms, how manic and depressive episodes manifest in teens, the diagnostic process, and how to support teens during treatment and recovery. Contact us for immediate and long-term assistance with teen bipolar disorder.
Early Warning Signs of Bipolar Disorder in Teens
Promptly identifying the early signs of bipolar disorder in teens can improve long-term outcomes. Here are some things to look for:
Emotional Changes
Although moodiness can be typical during adolescence, bipolar disorder often causes extreme and persistent mood swings. Teens may experience euphoric highs and crushing lows in quick succession, without any notable triggers.
Behavioral Shifts
Sudden, noticeable behavioral changes often signify an emerging issue. Here are a few examples:
Social Withdrawal
Isolation is a serious red flag and may be a sign of a more severe problem. Pay attention if a formerly social teenager:
Consider a professional assessment if the above symptoms persist for several weeks.
Manic Bipolar Symptoms in Teens
Bipolar-related mania does not always manifest as extreme happiness. It can also present itself as intense anger or irritability. Here are the common manic symptoms associated with bipolar disorder:
Elevated or Irritable Mood
Teens may exhibit the following behaviors during a manic episode:
Grandiose Thinking or Risk-Taking
Manic bipolar episodes among teens are commonly characterized by unrealistic confidence in one’s abilities without proper evidence or engaging in risky behaviors like reckless driving. Such behaviors may cause serious consequences if not promptly addressed.
Decreased Need for Sleep
One of the defining symptoms of bipolar-related mania is needing minimal sleep without getting exhausted. Teenagers with bipolar disorder may sleep for 2-3 hours only and still have unlimited energy the next day. Unfortunately, chronic sleep deprivation may complicate diagnosis and worsen symptoms.
Distractibility or Racing Thoughts
Teens with bipolar disorder may rapidly jump from one topic or task to another (without finishing one) or struggle to focus on things they previously loved. This restlessness not only affects the teenager but also those around them.
Depressive Bipolar Symptoms in Teens
The depressive phase of bipolar disorder usually impairs teenagers’ daily functioning and can be dangerous if not recognized and addressed early. Here are the associated symptoms:
Persistent Sadness or Hopelessness
Persistent sadness and hopelessness during depressive bipolar episodes commonly manifest in the following ways:
Lack of Interest in Activities
Teens with bipolar disorder may withdraw from activities they previously enjoyed or display little to no enthusiasm for anything, including formerly exciting events.
Fatigue and Sleep Changes
Teenagers’ sleeping patterns often change dramatically during depressive episodes. They may either oversleep (hypersomnia) or struggle falling asleep (insomnia). Fatigue, signified by excessive tiredness during the day, can also be common during this period. It may lead to irritability or academic struggles.
Feeling of Worthlessness and Guilt
Feelings of guilt and worthlessness are common during depressive episodes. Teens may blame themselves unnecessarily, feel like a burden to their peers, and harbor intense self-criticism.
Thoughts of Death or Suicide
Suicidal ideation and death-related thoughts are the most alarming signs of bipolar-related depression. If you are worried that your teen is having suicidal thoughts, seek professional help immediately.
How Bipolar Disorder is Diagnosed in Teens
Diagnosing teen bipolar disorder is often complicated. Symptoms may overlap with other mental health conditions like depression, anxiety, and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), or even typical teen behavior. Lack of proper, specialized evaluation may lead to a misdiagnosis.
Why Diagnosis is Complex in Adolescents
It is easy to misinterpret signs when diagnosing teen bipolar disorder, adolescence often causes hormonal changes and emotional fluctuation that may mirror bipolar symptoms. As a result, risk-taking behaviors may be dismissed as teen rebellion, while the characteristic mood swings can be written off as typical adolescent behavior.
Steps to an Accurate Diagnosis
When diagnosing teen bipolar disorder, mental health professionals normally go through the following steps:
Time and careful observation are crucial for accurate teen bipolar disorder diagnosis.
Role of Pediatric Psychiatrists
Connect your teenager with a pediatric psychiatrist specializing in adolescent mood disorders for the best results. They often understand the intricacies of teen mental health and can easily tailor appropriate treatment plans and ensure they are catered to your son or daughter’s specific situation.
Supporting a Teen with Bipolar Symptoms
Teens struggling with bipolar disorder need adequate support for long-term stability and recovery. You should listen to them without judgment, encourage them to express their emotions through journaling, help them uphold routine and sleep hygiene.
Listening Without Judgement
Non-judgmental listening fosters trust and helps create a safe space for teens displaying bipolar disorder symptoms to share their feelings without fearing punishment or ridicule. They also feel validated, encouraging them to open up.
Keeping a Mood Journal
Journaling can help teenagers identify potential mood episode triggers. A well-maintained and updated journal can also help clinicians diagnose and treat bipolar disorder. Encourage your teenager to track their daily moods, energy levels, sleep patterns, and significant events using a mood journal.
Since supporting a teen with bipolar disorder can be overwhelming, you can also consider keeping your journal. Use it to track your energy levels during the teenager’s treatment and recovery journey.
Promoting Routine and Sleep Hygiene
Foster a stable daily routine by helping your teenager adhere to consistent sleep, meal, and activity schedules. For better sleep hygiene, ensure your teenager limits their late-night screen time and prioritizes night-time relaxation routines that encourage sleep. Remember, quality sleep often reduces the severity of bipolar-related mood episodes.
Avoiding Substance Use
You should eliminate anything that may trigger mood episodes from your teen’s environment. Keep the home drug and alcohol-free, as teens with bipolar disorder can choose to self-medicate with drugs or alcohol to escape intense emotions.
Treatment Options for Teens With Bipolar Disorder Symptoms
Effective teen bipolar disorder treatment often involves a combination of interventions, which must be tailored to the teenager’s needs and condition severity. These include psychotherapy, collaborative care, and medication. Below is an in-depth exploration:
Psychotherapy
Treatment professionals use psychotherapy to equip teens and families with practical tools for navigating bipolar disorder. Our Nexus Teen Academy professionals administer the following evidence-based therapies during teen bipolar treatment for the best outcomes:
We often tailor the therapeutic interventions above to specific teenagers for personalized treatment.
Medication
Teen bipolar disorder is classified as a mood disorder. In some instances, treatment professionals use medications to stabilize the teenager’s mood or prevent severe episodes. Common drugs used to treat teen bipolar symptoms include:
Teen bipolar disorder medications should be prescribed and supervised by a qualified psychiatrist.
Collaborative Care
Collaborative care helps create a safety net for teens undergoing mental health treatment. Most treatment centers involve teachers, caregivers, family members, and therapists in teen bipolar treatment. Besides creating a strong support network, it ensures everyone is collaborating towards the teen’s stability and success.
Teen Bipolar Treatment at Nexus Teen Academy
While living with teen bipolar disorder can be challenging, it is manageable. At Nexus Teen Academy, we offer specialized intervention, tailored treatment, and unwavering support to help teens with bipolar disorder thrive socially, emotionally, and academically.
If your teenager is struggling with bipolar disorder, contact us for support, hope, healing, and resilience. You can improve their outcome through early intervention, normalizing treatment, and reminding them that their diagnosis does not define their potential.