NRNP 6665 Week 5 Assignment Patient Education for Children and Adolescents (Bipolar Disorder)

NRNP 6665: PMHNP Week 5 Assignment

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NRNP 6665: PMHNP

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Bipolar Disorder in Children & Adolescents

Bipolar Disorder is a type of disorder that affects one’s mood; the person experiences a manic and or hypomanic episode along with the low feelings of depression. The American Psychiatric Association states that Bipolar Disorder is an illness of the brain that leads to a fluctuation in a person’s mood, energy, and functioning. It is characterized by extreme emotional states that happen in specific intervals or “mood episodes” (McIntyre et al., 2020). These mood episodes are considered to be manic, hypomanic, or depressive. Normal mood periods can also occur for someone with Bipolar Disorder. All should be able to easily identify the symptoms, understand how it is being managed, and know exactly where to go for help to get the right information.

Signs and Symptoms

Symptoms of Bipolar Disorder in children and adolescents may not be the same as that of adults (Cichoń et al., 2020). Key signs and symptoms include:

Manic Episodes
- Always being cheerful or partying at school
- Has a very low level of patience or appears to have a bad mood.
- Talking very fast, and on lots of subjects.
- On the one hand, you are not tired, but you are having trouble sleeping.
- Calmly going through crucial behaviors while not pondering an outcome.

Depressive Episodes

Major Depressive Episode (Major Depressive Disorder) with symptoms of severe depression or clinical depression
The amount of sleeping also has an effect; either too much or too little sleep can cause one to be sleepy all day.
Taking a lot of food or taking little food
Very weak and becoming more fatigued and bored with once-pleasurable activities.
Thinking about or making attempts to die or take their own life.

If someone recognizes this, then it will help them in the correct diagnosis and treatment of such a disorder.

Pharmacological Treatments

Medications for Bipolar Disorder are generally considered to be a keystone in the treatment of this condition. They have helped prevent changes in moods and even in regulating the amount and the number of mood swings (Davydov et al., 2021). Common medications include:
Lithium is one of the most commonly used mood stabilizers; it must be noted.
Antipsychotics: These may help to control symptoms of mania. Some of them are risperidone and aripiprazole, but it’s a bit longer than these two.
Antidepressants: These are sometimes given during depressive episodes, but more commonly as a medication to prevent the onset of mania.

No pharmacological Treatments

Besides medication, several nonpharmacological treatments can be used to treat Bipolar Disorder.
Psychotherapy: In CBT, the child and/or adolescent is taught to understand their mental processes and emotions and how they respond to them.
Family Therapy: Engages the family and also seeks to enhance communication as well as support for people with the condition.
Education: To educate the patient and family about the disease that affects the patient.
Lifestyle changes: Adequate sleep at the proper time, timely meals, and exercise are recommended to lessen mood swings.

Community Resources and Referrals

It is crucial to have a companion to help through therapy in Bipolar Disorder. Some community resources and referrals that may be of assistance:

Mental Health Professionals: The mental health care professionals, including psychiatrists, psychologists, and licensed therapists, in particular, with a specialty in Bipolar Disorder.
Group support, however, might be the same in both the offline and online formats, namely that people with similar experiences feel the same. There are support groups that can help the youths; one of them is the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance, also known as DBSA.
School Counselors: It may offer services for support and living arrangements to handle issues that may come up in school.
Crisis Services: If one does not find it suitable using the above line, the following services can be used in an emergency: The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (1-800-273-TALK) and Crisis Text Line, where one only needs to type HELLO to 741741.

Conclusion

` In conclusion, the first way to solve Bipolar Disorder, which is familiar with in children and adolescents, is to comprehend this severe condition. Because youth develop various health risk factors when they are young, intervention before and after enrollment is imperative for students to achieve a proper health balance

References

Cichoń, L., Janas-Kozik, M., Siwiec, A., & Rybakowski, J. (2020). Clinical picture and treatment of bipolar affective disorder in children and adolescents. Psychiatria Polska, 54(1), 35–50. https://doi.org/10.12740/pp/onlinefirst/92740

Davydov, D. M., Galvez-Sánchez, C. M., Montoro, C. I., de Guevara, C. M. L., & Reyes del Paso, G. A. (2021). Personalized behavior management as a replacement for medications for pain control and mood regulation. Scientific Reports, 11(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-99803-x

McIntyre, R. S., Berk, M., Brietzke, E., Goldstein, B. I., López-Jaramillo, C., Kessing, L. V., Malhi, G. S., Nierenberg, A. A., Rosenblat, J. D., Majeed, A., Vieta, E., Vinberg, M., Young, A. H., & Mansur, R. B. (2020). Bipolar disorders. The Lancet, 396(10265), 1841–1856. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0140-6736(20)31544-0