Teens are less equipped to manage the ups and downs of bipolar disorder independently. Therefore, most turn to their parents for care, support, and guidance. However, the extreme mood swings and potential behavioral challenges associated with the condition often leave parents overwhelmed. If you are a parent struggling to care for a teenager with bipolar disorder, you are in the right place.
At Nexus Teen Academy, we understand the challenges teens with mental health issues and their parents face. Fortunately, we are committed to helping families in Arizona to manage and overcome different mental health conditions, including bipolar disorder. If you need immediate assistance for your teen with bipolar in Arizona, please contact our team today and get the healing process started.
Understanding Bipolar Disorder in Teens
Teens with bipolar disorder experience intense and prolonged mood swings. Manic episodes are characterized by great joy, elevated moods, and sometimes increased irritability. However, they are soon replaced by periods of major depression, which manifest in the following ways:
A drop in energy levels
Lasting feelings of sadness
Persistent feelings of helplessness, guilt, and despair.
Loss of interest in previously enjoyed activities
Feelings of worthlessness
Low self-esteem
Sleep problems
Suicidal thoughts/ attempts
Fatigue
Stomachaches and headaches
Impact on Family Dynamics
Bipolar disorder can impact families in the following ways:
The unpredictable mood swings may cause significant stress, frustration, and worry for family members.
It can hinder open and effective communication, leading to frequent conflicts and misunderstandings.
Parents may find balancing treatment and daily responsibilities overwhelming.
Other siblings may feel neglected when parents focus more on the teen with bipolar disorder.
The cost of treatment, therapy, and medications may strain the family’s financial resources.
Bipolar episodes may make it challenging for family members to maintain normal routines.
The stigma and unpredictability associated with bipolar episodes may make family members isolate or withdraw from social activities.
8 Effective Strategies for Bipolar Teens' Parental Support
Caring for a teen with bipolar disorder can be a challenging task. However, here are a few strategies that can make support easier:
1. Prioritize Self-Care
You should care for your mental health as you support your teenager. Contrary to popular opinion, taking time off and focusing on yourself is not selfish. Self-care strategies help parents manage the associated mental overwhelm and put them in the right mind frame to care for their teen effectively. Here are a few self-care techniques and activities to consider:
Daily physical activities like swimming, walking, or jogging can reduce stress and improve mood.
Maintain a healthy, balanced diet for enhanced energy levels and overall well-being.
Get consistent, quality sleep for reduced fatigue and stress.
Engage in mindfulness activities such as meditation to reduce anxiety.
Take time off to pursue hobbies or engage in activities you find enjoyable.
Join a support group for parents of teens with bipolar disorder for emotional support and shared experiences.
You should also stay connected with supportive friends and family and set clear boundaries. Social connection prevents isolation, while boundaries keep you from burning out.
2. Embrace Open Communication
One of the best ways to support a teenager with bipolar disorder is to foster open communication. Teens are encouraged to discuss their moods, feelings, and experiences when there is open and honest communication. Here is how you can ensure that type of communication:
Maintain a safe and non-judgmental environment.
Listen actively as your teen shares their feelings and experiences.
Ask open-ended questions to encourage in-depth discussions.
Acknowledge and validate your teenager’s feelings and emotions.
Prioritize solution-finding over criticism or blame.
Respect their boundaries and privacy.
3. Build a Support System
You shouldn’t walk alone in your teenager’s bipolar disorder management journey. A strong support system makes the journey more bearable as it helps with emotional support. Here are a few ways you can build a support system:
Stay in touch with supportive friends, family members, and healthcare professionals
Participate in local or online support groups for parents of teens with mental health disorders.
Utilize community resources.
Engage in hobbies or enjoyable social activities.
4. Establishing Routine and Structure
Routine and structure are crucial for teens with bipolar disorder. Consistent sleep schedules, mealtimes, and activities can improve your teenager’s mood stability and reduce episodes. Here is how to promote routine and structure for a bipolar teenager:
Establish a regular daily routine with consistent activities.
Ensure consistent sleep and wake-up time.
Encourage adherence to medication schedules.
Set boundaries on screen time to promote adequate rest.
Be a good role model by preparing and adhering to your structured routine.
5. Develop a Crisis Plan
You must collaborate with your teen’s therapist to create an effective crisis plan for potential emergencies. Here are a few contents of a good crisis plan:
Clear guidelines for recognizing early warning signs of bipolar disorder episodes.
Information on emergency contacts such as mental health professionals.
A list of medications and the right dosages.
Steps for safe transport to medical facilities.
A good plan can help you avert or effectively manage a crisis. It also offers teens and family members a sense of control and safety.
6. Seek Professional Therapy
Certain therapeutic interventions, such as family therapy, help families and teens dealing with bipolar disorder gain essential skills and manage the associated challenges. They can also improve your knowledge of teen bipolar disorder, effective communication strategies, and effective stress-handling skills.
Therapy also offers a safe and supportive space to process your feelings. Sessions can help reduce burnout and improve your ability to support your teenager in their bipolar disorder management journey. At our teen mental health treatment center in Arizona, we offer a range of therapeutic interventions, including family and holistic therapies, to support families and teens affected by bipolar disorder. We also provide weekly family hours where parents and loved ones can meet with their teens in treatment in a non-clinical setting.
7. Financial Considerations
Treating or managing teen bipolar disorder can be costly without a good insurance plan, as it is a chronic condition. Luckily, Nexus Teen Academy works with a number of insurance providers to make the treatment process as affordable and accessible as possible.
To learn more about your specific coverage and our treatment program, contact our team and verify your insurance today. We will also assist you to learn more about insurance plan including.
Medicaid
Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP?
Health Insurance Marketplace plans: These usually offer subsidies and lower premiums based on the family’s income.
Supplemental security income.
Non-profit organizations and foundations.
Community and school-based health centers.
You can also manage costs through flexible spending and health savings accounts, negotiating with providers, and prioritizing telehealth services.
8. Building Resilience
Building resilience can enhance your ability to cope with the challenges and stress of managing teen bipolar disorder. Here are a few techniques that can help you build resilience:
Seek social support.
Engage in self-care activities.
Develop your stress-management skills.
Develop problem-solving skills.
Seek professional help.
Therapeutic Support for Bipolar Teens and Their Parents
Here are a few therapeutic modalities we offer to parents and teens at Nexus Teen Academy:
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is founded on the idea that our thoughts, beliefs, and behaviors are interconnected. Therefore, people can change their behaviors by changing their thoughts.
Being a goal-oriented psychotherapy, it takes a practical, hands-on approach to problem resolution. Here is how teen CBT helps with bipolar disorder:
It can help teens identify and change negative thought patterns and behaviors that trigger or worsen their mood swings.
It offers practical strategies for symptom management.
It equips teens with stress-handling, problem-solving, and emotional management skills.
CBT sessions empower teens with bipolar disorder to gain better control over their condition, improve their quality of life, and enhance their daily functioning.
Family Therapy
Family therapy offers family members an avenue to address the challenges affecting them. It brings the entire family together and helps them understand their teen’s condition.
Here are some of the benefits teens and families dealing with bipolar disorder stand to enjoy from regular family therapy sessions:
Better communication, support, and understanding within the family unit.
Improved understanding of bipolar disorder.
Increased support for teens dealing with bipolar disorder. This can promote their adherence to therapy and medication, leading to better treatment outcomes.
Creation of a more nurturing and stable home for the teen struggling with bipolar disorder.
Medication-Assisted Treatment
Medication-assisted treatment for teen bipolar combines medications and therapeutic interventions. Besides therapy, we prescribe mood stabilizers, antipsychotics, and antidepressants that are tailored to the symptoms and needs of teens with bipolar disorder at Nexus Teen Academy. Medications help stabilize mood swings and reduce the severity of bipolar episodes, while therapy targets problematic thoughts and behaviors. This can improve a teenager’s treatment experience as they stabilize moods and reduce the severity of symptoms.
Holistic Approaches
At Nexus, we use highly-rated holistic approaches at Nexus Teen Academy, such as meditation, yoga, exercise, expressive therapies, and proper nutrition, when treating bipolar disorder. This, along with our evidence-based core treatment program, ensures our clients get a full spectrum of care while at our facility. Benefits associated with holistic approaches for teen bipolar disorder treatment include:
Stress reduction
Better emotional regulation
Improved brain health
Enhanced mood and energy levels.
Expressive therapies such as art and music also offer bipolar teens healthy emotional outlets needed to prevent episodes.
Teen Bipolar Disorder Treatment at Nexus Teen Academy
Teen bipolar episodes can be challenging to manage. Parents may be overwhelmed with fear, worry, frustration, and guilt during episodes. We advise you to refine your support strategies if you have a teenager struggling with bipolar disorder.
Nexus Teen Academy is always available for families struggling with teen mental health challenges. Our team of experienced and highly skilled mental health professionals, led by Clinical Director Hannah Carr, is ready to walk with you side-by-side during your teen’s mental health journey. Feel free to contact us today to learn more about our treatment program and the cost of treatment for your teen.
Here is what you should do if you suspect your teenager has bipolar disorder:
Act on your suspicion by observing, monitoring, and documenting signs. You should monitor your teen’s sleep patterns, behavioral changes, and mood swings and keep a detailed record.
Educate yourself more on bipolar disorder.
Engage with your teen and learn more about how they feel. This step usually requires an open and nonjudgmental conversation. Remember to express your empathy and support during the conversation.
Share your observations with a pediatrician or your family doctor. After conducting tests, they will probably refer you to a mental health professional.
Find a reputable professional, program, or facility specializing in teen bipolar disorder treatment. Ensure that they evaluate your teenager thoroughly.
Collaborate with your mental healthcare provider for personalized treatment planning. Afterward, help your teen adhere to the treatment and medication plans. You should also attend scheduled appointments and family therapy sessions religiously.
Support your teenager as they undergo treatment. Provide a stable and supportive home environment and encourage them to engage in healthy lifestyle habits.
At Nexus Teen Academy, we conduct extensive pre-admission evaluations. We consider the teen’s mental health history, personality traits, previous diagnoses, as well as their emotional and behavioral changes. We then collaborate with them and their parents to develop a personalized treatment plan based on condition severity, treatment goals, needs, and preferences.
Our teen bipolar treatment plans combine evidence-based therapies and pharmacological interventions. We continuously monitor them as treatment progresses and make necessary adjustments to capture evolving goals and needs.
Yes. Positive lifestyle changes such as getting adequate sleep and consistently eating a healthy and balanced diet can stabilize mood swings in a bipolar teen and reduce the frequency and severity of episodes. However, such changes should be used alongside therapeutic interventions and medication management.
Do not disregard your mental health as you support your teenager. Here are a few strategies that can help you strike a great balance between managing your mental health and supporting your teen:
Prioritize self-care practices and activities.
Set and enforce clear boundaries and limits.
Seek support from relevant online forums, parents with bipolar teens, and support groups.
Maintain perspective. Acknowledge our inability to control teens’ outcomes and behaviors and provide love and support instead.
Be patient with yourself and your teen. Remember, effective bipolar disorder management requires time and effort.
Seek professional help swiftly if you start feeling overwhelmed.
Take breaks when necessary to recharge.
Monitor your mental health and reach out to the right professional upon noticing symptoms of depression or anxiety.
Effective Support Strategies for Arizona Parents of Bipolar Teens
Published On May 14, 2024
Table of Contents
Teens are less equipped to manage the ups and downs of bipolar disorder independently. Therefore, most turn to their parents for care, support, and guidance. However, the extreme mood swings and potential behavioral challenges associated with the condition often leave parents overwhelmed. If you are a parent struggling to care for a teenager with bipolar disorder, you are in the right place.
At Nexus Teen Academy, we understand the challenges teens with mental health issues and their parents face. Fortunately, we are committed to helping families in Arizona to manage and overcome different mental health conditions, including bipolar disorder. If you need immediate assistance for your teen with bipolar in Arizona, please contact our team today and get the healing process started.
Understanding Bipolar Disorder in Teens
Teens with bipolar disorder experience intense and prolonged mood swings. Manic episodes are characterized by great joy, elevated moods, and sometimes increased irritability. However, they are soon replaced by periods of major depression, which manifest in the following ways:
Impact on Family Dynamics
Bipolar disorder can impact families in the following ways:
8 Effective Strategies for Bipolar Teens' Parental Support
Caring for a teen with bipolar disorder can be a challenging task. However, here are a few strategies that can make support easier:
1. Prioritize Self-Care
You should care for your mental health as you support your teenager. Contrary to popular opinion, taking time off and focusing on yourself is not selfish. Self-care strategies help parents manage the associated mental overwhelm and put them in the right mind frame to care for their teen effectively. Here are a few self-care techniques and activities to consider:
You should also stay connected with supportive friends and family and set clear boundaries. Social connection prevents isolation, while boundaries keep you from burning out.
2. Embrace Open Communication
One of the best ways to support a teenager with bipolar disorder is to foster open communication. Teens are encouraged to discuss their moods, feelings, and experiences when there is open and honest communication. Here is how you can ensure that type of communication:
3. Build a Support System
You shouldn’t walk alone in your teenager’s bipolar disorder management journey. A strong support system makes the journey more bearable as it helps with emotional support. Here are a few ways you can build a support system:
4. Establishing Routine and Structure
Routine and structure are crucial for teens with bipolar disorder. Consistent sleep schedules, mealtimes, and activities can improve your teenager’s mood stability and reduce episodes. Here is how to promote routine and structure for a bipolar teenager:
5. Develop a Crisis Plan
You must collaborate with your teen’s therapist to create an effective crisis plan for potential emergencies. Here are a few contents of a good crisis plan:
A good plan can help you avert or effectively manage a crisis. It also offers teens and family members a sense of control and safety.
6. Seek Professional Therapy
Certain therapeutic interventions, such as family therapy, help families and teens dealing with bipolar disorder gain essential skills and manage the associated challenges. They can also improve your knowledge of teen bipolar disorder, effective communication strategies, and effective stress-handling skills.
Therapy also offers a safe and supportive space to process your feelings. Sessions can help reduce burnout and improve your ability to support your teenager in their bipolar disorder management journey. At our teen mental health treatment center in Arizona, we offer a range of therapeutic interventions, including family and holistic therapies, to support families and teens affected by bipolar disorder. We also provide weekly family hours where parents and loved ones can meet with their teens in treatment in a non-clinical setting.
7. Financial Considerations
Treating or managing teen bipolar disorder can be costly without a good insurance plan, as it is a chronic condition. Luckily, Nexus Teen Academy works with a number of insurance providers to make the treatment process as affordable and accessible as possible.
To learn more about your specific coverage and our treatment program, contact our team and verify your insurance today. We will also assist you to learn more about insurance plan including.
You can also manage costs through flexible spending and health savings accounts, negotiating with providers, and prioritizing telehealth services.
8. Building Resilience
Building resilience can enhance your ability to cope with the challenges and stress of managing teen bipolar disorder. Here are a few techniques that can help you build resilience:
Therapeutic Support for Bipolar Teens and Their Parents
Here are a few therapeutic modalities we offer to parents and teens at Nexus Teen Academy:
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is founded on the idea that our thoughts, beliefs, and behaviors are interconnected. Therefore, people can change their behaviors by changing their thoughts.
Being a goal-oriented psychotherapy, it takes a practical, hands-on approach to problem resolution. Here is how teen CBT helps with bipolar disorder:
CBT sessions empower teens with bipolar disorder to gain better control over their condition, improve their quality of life, and enhance their daily functioning.
Family Therapy
Family therapy offers family members an avenue to address the challenges affecting them. It brings the entire family together and helps them understand their teen’s condition.
Here are some of the benefits teens and families dealing with bipolar disorder stand to enjoy from regular family therapy sessions:
Medication-Assisted Treatment
Medication-assisted treatment for teen bipolar combines medications and therapeutic interventions. Besides therapy, we prescribe mood stabilizers, antipsychotics, and antidepressants that are tailored to the symptoms and needs of teens with bipolar disorder at Nexus Teen Academy. Medications help stabilize mood swings and reduce the severity of bipolar episodes, while therapy targets problematic thoughts and behaviors. This can improve a teenager’s treatment experience as they stabilize moods and reduce the severity of symptoms.
Holistic Approaches
At Nexus, we use highly-rated holistic approaches at Nexus Teen Academy, such as meditation, yoga, exercise, expressive therapies, and proper nutrition, when treating bipolar disorder. This, along with our evidence-based core treatment program, ensures our clients get a full spectrum of care while at our facility. Benefits associated with holistic approaches for teen bipolar disorder treatment include:
Expressive therapies such as art and music also offer bipolar teens healthy emotional outlets needed to prevent episodes.
Teen Bipolar Disorder Treatment at Nexus Teen Academy
Teen bipolar episodes can be challenging to manage. Parents may be overwhelmed with fear, worry, frustration, and guilt during episodes. We advise you to refine your support strategies if you have a teenager struggling with bipolar disorder.
Nexus Teen Academy is always available for families struggling with teen mental health challenges. Our team of experienced and highly skilled mental health professionals, led by Clinical Director Hannah Carr, is ready to walk with you side-by-side during your teen’s mental health journey. Feel free to contact us today to learn more about our treatment program and the cost of treatment for your teen.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here is what you should do if you suspect your teenager has bipolar disorder:
We offer a range of therapies to help teens manage bipolar disorder at Nexus Teen Academy. These include the following:
We also provide medication management and psychoeducation.
At Nexus Teen Academy, we conduct extensive pre-admission evaluations. We consider the teen’s mental health history, personality traits, previous diagnoses, as well as their emotional and behavioral changes. We then collaborate with them and their parents to develop a personalized treatment plan based on condition severity, treatment goals, needs, and preferences.
Our teen bipolar treatment plans combine evidence-based therapies and pharmacological interventions. We continuously monitor them as treatment progresses and make necessary adjustments to capture evolving goals and needs.
A bipolar diagnosis may affect teenagers emotionally in the following ways:
Yes. Positive lifestyle changes such as getting adequate sleep and consistently eating a healthy and balanced diet can stabilize mood swings in a bipolar teen and reduce the frequency and severity of episodes. However, such changes should be used alongside therapeutic interventions and medication management.
We take great pride in empowering parents to help teens navigate bipolar disorder. Some of our ongoing parental support programs include:
Do not disregard your mental health as you support your teenager. Here are a few strategies that can help you strike a great balance between managing your mental health and supporting your teen: