BIPOLAR DISORDER TREATMENT PROGRAM

Suffering from bipolar disorder can make your son challenging to live with, even beyond typical challenges with the changes of adolescence. Bipolar disorder affects all areas of his life and often lasts throughout life. However, by addressing bipolar disorder at an early age, your son can regain hope for a bright future.

WHY YOUR SON MAY NEED A BIPOLAR DISORDER TREATMENT PROGRAM

Boys’ bipolar disorder treatment does not focus on one single cause, because the origins are more complex. Bipolar disorder stems from several factors, including nature (genes, chemicals in the brain) and nurture (living environment).

Bipolar disorder in boys can also develop because of other medical complications. For example, they could develop depressive symptoms due to injury, chronic illness, or a traumatic experience. Substance use can also contribute to depressive moods. Stonewater Adolescent Recovery Center provides individualized boys’ substance use treatment to heal substance issues alongside bipolar disorder treatment.

If your son is struggling with substance use disorder along with bipolar disorder, he has a co-occurring disorder that will result in a dual diagnosis. The boy’s dual diagnosis treatment at Stonewater is designed to equip young men with the tools they need to cope with these co-occurring disorders not only during our program but throughout their lives.

WHAT IS BIPOLAR DISORDER?

Bipolar disorder is a mental illness causing extreme mood changes in your son. Bipolar disorder leads your son to experience manic and depressive episodes. These depressive and manic episodes can occur rapidly in succession or even months apart. Generally, for mood changes to be classified as bipolar disorder, episodes must last for at least two continuous weeks.

When your son cycles between depression and mania, it can make it challenging to maintain life’s balance. Depressive episodes cause suicidal ideation, a lack of motivation, and crying spells. Manic episodes cause insomnia, psychosis, and a lack of impulse control leading to risky behavior.

The shifts between depression and mania make bipolar disorder difficult to diagnose. Getting boys’ bipolar disorder treatment early is imperative.

Bipolar disorder can also cause:

  • Anger and aggression
  • Anxiety and restlessness
  • Rapid speech
  • Suicidal thoughts
  • Behavior and personality changes

Rapid cycling bipolar disorder is especially dangerous. Rapid cycling can cause your son to go from mania directly to depression. Going from mania to depression or vice versa can cause insomnia and erratic behavior.

Bipolar disorder is manageable at our boys’ bipolar disorder treatment program. Learning the symptoms of both depressive and manic episodes is essential. The team at our boys’ bipolar disorder treatment program can adjust their plan for your son based on symptoms.

MEDICATION TREATMENT PROGRAM

Medicine can play a significant role in adolescent bipolar disorder treatment. Remedies offered vary due to symptoms, side effects, and age.

Medications may include mood stabilizers, which treat symptoms of mania, antidepressants, and antipsychotics. It’s’ important to know that, during depressive episodes, individuals with bipolar disorder feel deeply depressed.

Young people often stop taking prescribed medication when they feel fine, which can prevent them from maintaining health and stability. At Stonewater, weekly visits with our Medical Director and around the clock nursing staff provide supervision to ensure the treatment continues unabated.

THERAPY DURING BOYS’ BIPOLAR DISORDER TREATMENT

What therapies does our team offer that help with bipolar disorder? Our specialists work with each individual resident to determine their specific treatment needs, which is also informed by extensive psychological testing at the beginning of his treatment stay. Your son has a primary role in shaping his individual plan for treatment. At Stonewater Adolescent Recovery Center, our teen mental health treatment programs include therapies like:

  • Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT)
  • Trauma therapy
  • Dual diagnosis treatment
  • Nature therapy
  • Art therapy
  • Group therapy for stress management education and coping skills development

If you want to help your son overcome address his bipolar disorder, the Stonewater program provides skills and tools necessary to enable long term support for both the families and their child. For co-occurring boys’ bipolar disorder treatment, contact Stonewater Adolescent Recovery Center online or call us at 662.373.2828.