There are several illnesses, that are so closely related, that only a professional can distinguish one from another. If you are a parent, relative or friend of someone experiencing any of these behaviors, please contact your physician or a mental health professional. There is help available.
When my son was 4 years old, his behavior was diagnosed as "hyper". We were told he would "grow out of it". After years of counseling with several different therapists, it was obvious that something else was desperately wrong.
As he grew older, and this behavior intensified, he turned to drugs as a solution. As frustrating as it was for us, we felt that we had done everything possible to help him.
All of this started 25 years ago. Since that time mental health professionals have been able to identify these different behaviors and treat them accordingly. My son has been diagnosed, is in counseling and taking medication to control his behavior.
My hope in telling you of these personal experiences is that if you notice drastic behavior pattern changes in your child that you will seek a professional experienced in mental health problems.
Most of us, from time to time, get the "blues" or depressed. That is a normal part of life. Several things can lead to depression: the loss of a loved one, loss of employment, divorce, problems at home. When we can’t shake these feelings and are in a constant state of despair, that is the time to seek professional help. Clinical Depression is the nations leading psychological problem.
Depression in teens is usually different. Most teens, when depressed, will appear intensely irritable, have angry outbursts and have problems at school. At this point open communications with your child is very important. Most of the time these symptoms will disappear, but if your child starts saying things like "life isn’t worth living", "I have no future" or "I would be better off dead", seek professional help for them.
Bi Polar Affective Disorder is also known as manic depression. It is a mental illness involving wide mood alterations, from overly high and irritable, to sad and hopeless and back again, with normal moods in-between. Bi Polar means sharing two poles (high and low) and affective disorder means a disorder having to do with mood.
Bi Polar illness has been diagnosed in children under age 12, but is not common in this age group. It can be confused with AD/HD (attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder), so careful diagnosis is necessary.
Manic Depression can cause a person to go from incredible, almost super human energy, to such despair that suicide may seem to be the only way out.
There are treatments available that are very effective in stabilizing this type behavior, but only an experienced professional can make a diagnosis and prescribe the proper medication.
Here is a list of the symptoms of mania and depression:
Mania:
- increased energy, decreased sleep
- overly irritable
- fast emotional changes
- inflated self-esteem
- increased sexual drive
- overspending
- poor judgment
Depression:
- lack of energy
- sleep problems
- change of eating habits
- decreased sexual drive
- loss of interest in family or work
- suicidal or homicidal thoughts
- feelings of guilt
Other health professionals can assist in providing the patient and family with additional approaches to treatment. They are:
- medical schools
- hospital departments of psychiatry
- private offices and clinics
- your family physician
The majority of people with Bi Polar will not recognize that they have a problem, and will place blame on others or find another cause for their problems.
ADD, Attention Deficit Disorder, can be found in adults as well as children. As with my son, going back onto his childhood history, we found the symptoms that aided in his diagnosis: always called "hyper", always gave baby-sitters fits; naps and feeding irregular; everyone around him frustrated by his behavior; problems in school. Most children with ADD, have very high intelligence levels, but are called unmotivated, lazy, and not working up to their potential in school.
Many adults with ADD are difficult to diagnose because they tend to deny past incidents by saying things like "I did OK". For this reason, it is very important to have a parent or sibling with you while being diagnosed, someone who was present and remembers your childhood. Most adults with ADHD have been given labels such as: BiPolar Disorder; Atypical Depression or Personality Disorder. Some are termed "antisocial". Untreated ADHD very often leads to substance abuse.
In therapy adults with ADHD will show many of the following symptoms:
- Impulsive behavior
- Hot temper
- Unreliability (forgetting or not keeping appointments)
- Inattentiveness
- Disruptive behavior
- Uncooperative
- Impatience
- Unable to follow through
- Rapid mood swings
- Poor insight
In diagnosing any of these behaviors, a complete family history will be the most helpful tool for a therapist. In almost all cases, studies have found that there will be other family members that exhibited the same behavior patterns.
When a child is diagnosed to have any of these behaviors, family counseling is imperative. If the family works as a unit, therapy and treatment will be more beneficial to everyone involved.
Guidelines for evaluations are easy to write about, but it takes an experienced professional to be able to differentiate between the different types of mental illnesses. When a child that is well-behaved and reasonable well-adjusted suddenly shows any of these behaviors, then a trauma of some kind is suspected, such as molestation or physical abuse. If a child is treated for abuse and emotional damage, and the therapy seems ineffective after a period of time, then ADHD is suspected, and the treatment is modified to attain the best possible chance of recovery and successful adjustment.
Again, if you or a loved one is experiencing any of the behaviors discussed here, please get help. Contact your local Mental Health Association. They can refer you to a professional near you. If money is a problem, tell them. There are professionals that will treat you on a sliding scale, based on your ability to pay.
