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What does the early stages of bipolar look like?


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SOOOO much depends.

 

How old is the person? Any previous signs? Have they had a full physical with blood work to rule out other possible causes---thyroid, blood sugar, anemia, B vitamin levels, vitamin D levels, etc., seizures, brain injury, something like PANDAS, drug/alcohol use/abuse?

 

HIGH quality fish oils are good. We use the Omega 3 mood from Country Life-- 2 per day. A good multivitamin and higher level B complex are good. Coconut oil is good. Getting into a good sleep/wake cycle is helpful....going to bed the same time each day/waking the same time each day. Exercise--at least 30 minutes, outside if possible a day. A diet lower in processed foods (esp. sugars/carbs) and higher in protein can help.

 

All of that said, we do/have done these all here and meds are still needed daily. It is just important to rule out other possible medical issues that could be looking like bipolar or going with the bipolar.

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You really haven't given much information. Some medical issues can look like bipolar. Certain developmental issues may appear like bipolar. They now have a new dx for young children because so many turned out to have something else past puberty; but it looked like bipolar when the child was young. Certain ages/developmental stages are prime for onset of bipolar. There are other mood disorders to consider also. Family history (substance abuse, mental illness) can help dx.

 

Some docs are more eager to dx. Some are much more hesitant to dx. It was a popular dx for many years. It is probably another that is way under AND over dx'd.

 

Definitely consider diet (clean, few simple carbs), supplements (especially Omegas),

exercise, sensory integration activities, and discipline (if a child, probably needing empathetic, teaching-based, rather than punitive). "Strong sitting," meditation, and the like may help also.

 

Of course, at some point, professional help may well be necessary whether therapy or medication or....

 

Hope this helps a little....

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If a doc suspects a PD they will refer to a Psychologist or Psychiatrist. If you go to a psych first, they will probably ask you to see an M.D. to rule out other issues, and as part of the over all assessment. The DSMIV is the diagnositc tool of mental health professionals.

the DSMIV Criteria for bi-polar are: http://www.mental-health-today.com/bp/bi1.htm- characterized by one or more manic episodes, or mixed episodes.

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SOOOO much depends.

 

How old is the person? Any previous signs? Have they had a full physical with blood work to rule out other possible causes---thyroid, blood sugar, anemia, B vitamin levels, vitamin D levels, etc., seizures, brain injury, something like PANDAS, drug/alcohol use/abuse?

 

HIGH quality fish oils are good. We use the Omega 3 mood from Country Life-- 2 per day. A good multivitamin and higher level B complex are good. Coconut oil is good. Getting into a good sleep/wake cycle is helpful....going to bed the same time each day/waking the same time each day. Exercise--at least 30 minutes, outside if possible a day. A diet lower in processed foods (esp. sugars/carbs) and higher in protein can help.

 

All of that said, we do/have done these all here and meds are still needed daily. It is just important to rule out other possible medical issues that could be looking like bipolar or going with the bipolar.

 

:iagree:Yes, too everything Ottakee said.We started with a psychiatrist for meds to go along with the counselor, but eventually, were much happier with a psychiatric nurse practitioner.

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It's different for everyone, but for my dh, he would swing back and forth between long-term general crankiness with depression, and much shorter bouts of binge drinking, wild spending, and unrestrained, violent rage, which I'm pretty sure were his manic phases. I ended up dropping him off at the emergency mental health ward of the local hospital, telling him not to come out until he had a diagnosis and a prescription. Quite a few hours later, he came out saying they'd diagnosed him as bipolar, referred him to a psychiatrist, and given him a couple of prescriptions. Now, several years and different meds later, he's downright normal. Nice, even. :tongue_smilie: He currently takes lithium and celexa for the bipolar disorder, and manages it through a family doctor.

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Well, there are multiple types of bipolar disorder, so the symptoms may be different depending on which type they have. All but one of the people I know who have been diagnosed with it were not diagnosed until they had some sort of full-on psychotic episode (delusions of grandeur, invincibility, convinced themselves they were Jesus...), BUT I know it does not have to be that way. In one case, I suspected a mental illness for a while, but the person's blood relatives all just thought it was because he was taking recreational drugs rather than the drug use being a symptom of the bigger problem.

 

...and that reply probably made things clear as mud for you.

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You really haven't given much information. Some medical issues can look like bipolar. ...

:iagree: My son's DAN! pointed out that gluten intolerance in some children (and adults) can mimic bipolar and schizophrenia. there are many possiblities.

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Well, there are multiple types of bipolar disorder, so the symptoms may be different depending on which type they have. All but one of the people I know who have been diagnosed with it were not diagnosed until they had some sort of full-on psychotic episode (delusions of grandeur, invincibility, convinced themselves they were Jesus...), BUT I know it does not have to be that way. In one case, I suspected a mental illness for a while, but the person's blood relatives all just thought it was because he was taking recreational drugs rather than the drug use being a symptom of the bigger problem.

 

...and that reply probably made things clear as mud for you.

 

My dh once, during one of his manic episodes, spent a good two hours telling me (while drinking heavily) that he was an assassin for the government and had flown all over the world.

 

I never did figure out if he'd actually convinced himself of that or not. When he came back to reality after his manic freakout, I asked him about it and he was all :001_huh:

 

Now that it's several years in the past, we can have a good laugh about it, but at the time it was pretty freaky.

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My dh once, during one of his manic episodes, spent a good two hours telling me (while drinking heavily) that he was an assassin for the government and had flown all over the world.

 

I never did figure out if he'd actually convinced himself of that or not. When he came back to reality after his manic freakout, I asked him about it and he was all :001_huh:

 

Now that it's several years in the past, we can have a good laugh about it, but at the time it was pretty freaky.

 

My friend's bi polar was diagnosed after a psychotic episode at school. We were in the 10th grade I think, and had to take a standardized test. She was a genius, there should have been no problem. But she started waving to people that were not there, then tapping her pencil furiously. When a teacher asked what was going on she started a huge diatribe about how "they" were using the test to do bad things, and how could the teacher go along with "them", etc etc. Then she just walked out. The found her hours later wandering the campus and her parents got her into a psychiatric hospital. What is bizarre is that at least one of her parents was a psychiatrist or psychologist (I forget now which) and didn't know this was an issue.

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One does not have to have some freaky psychotic episode to be diagnosed though. There is a difference between hypermanic and hypomanic. I have hypomanic episodes. I never had the grandiosity or thinking I am God's gift to the world. I did have some spending trips but they were few and far between. My manic episodes are not 'drive while standing up' types. My typical manic moods are irritability, restlessness and bizarre racing obsessive thoughts.

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And also.......bipolar can look very different in a young child than it does in a young adult or senior citizen so age can affect how it "looks". There is also Mood disorder NOS, Bipolar I (more manic) and Bipolar 2 (more depressed) and variations between them along with mixed states.

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