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For best control of bipolar disorder in adolescence, it is recommended to combine medication with therapy. Medication is used to bring the person to relative stability before therapy will be very effective. Finding the proper medication or combination of medication for each person can be time-consuming but in children it can be even more difficult. Partially this is because of known drug therapy regimens having been developed for adults and partially it is because individual patients respond differently to medications.

Mood stabilizing drugs such as lithium or valproate can help reduce the rapidity and severity of cycles. Often it can take two medications combined to be optimally effective. Many will benefit from adding an antidepressant drug along with the mood stabilizing medication. While a few people find relief taking just an antidepressant, this is not usually recommended as taken alone, an antidepressant can induce mania in some patients. Stimulants given for treatment of ADHD and other common childhood disorders can worsen manic symptoms, especially in adolescents. Full effect of mood stabilizers can take weeks to come about so changes must be gradual and it will take time to find the optimal drug regimen for the best control of symptoms.

There are several factors influencing the outcome of drug therapy for adolescents with bipolar disorder. Since there is little data on effectiveness and safety of mood stabilizing drugs for youths, doctors must go by adult treatments which can be ineffective when used for teenagers or even dangerous. Another thing that can be problematic is getting the adolescent to recognize that they have a mental disorder and then agree to getting treatment. Teenagers are naturally more sensitive to what others think of them and are prone to deny having a mental illness of any sort. Another important factor that can cause stumbling blocks for patients is that many psychoactive drugs can have annoying side effects.

Common side effects of mood stabilizing medications include stomach upset, drowsiness, low energy, headaches and weight gain. Generally the most annoying side effect for teenagers tends to be with weight gain. One of the most common and safest mood stabilizers is valproate (Depakote) but this drug almost always causes at least some weight gain. For some patients it can be a significant amount of weight. Often a teenager will fight against taking the drug because of fear of weight gain and it is the most common reason for an adolescent to refuse further medication.

Mood stabilizers can help bring symptoms under control but therapy will be needed for optimal long-term management of bipolar disorder. A good therapist will help educate the patient and teach them how to monitor their progress of gaining control over their disease. Therapy can teach tools to enable the sufferer to cope with the effects of the disease and also help them deal with any problems created by bipolar disorder. The more knowledge a person has about their disorder then the more control they will gain over their symptoms and course of the disease.

Learn more about this author, Tina Golden.
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