im in high school and for many years i have
had some pretty intense emotional struggles.
ive always been told that teenagers go through
that, and i understand that hormones and all are
kicking in and messing up your emotions, but mine
just dont seem like what everyone else is going through.
about two years ago i had a streak of cutting and
thoughts of suicide, and my parents knew, and
we got through it together, but they thought that
it was over. im glad to say that i havent had any
thoughts of suicide since then, but i do have
extremely low lows and some pretty high highs.
everyday is an emotional struggle. and it seems to
be the worse when im in a very social setting,,
like a party or concert. i get really upset, and
block myself off in a corner, because i tend to hide it.
maybe im not bipolar, maybe im completely okay,
but i would love to have some imput, to know
where to go from here, anything is appreciated.

It's very possible. I know I was BP as a child. For as long as I can remember I have had emotional highs and lows. I was diagnosed in my early 20's after a suicide attempt. It felt so good to finally have a name for what I had been feeling. The only real way to know is to get assessed by someone. I also know what you mean about social settings. I usually end up feeling like I am on sensory overload. I can only take so much of the world. However in my career I am very successful and can take people just fine. I hate large crowds of people, too loud.

I can tell that you are feeling stressed about this, hopefully I have been of some help. The very best thing you can do is talk to your parents. Sounds like they are quite supportive. I am sure they would want to know. I am also a mother and I would hate to think of my kid going at this alone. Also, given your past (like many of us), reaching out for help is always the best course of action.

I am glad you have found all of us, this is a great support system. I don't know what I did before I found all these people. Keep posting so we know how you are.
Naturemomma

You should look for Paige on this board and introduce yourself. She just turned 18 a couple days ago and could probably answer many of your questions. I'll see if I can send her over to this thread!! ;)

xx Tsohl

Hi, Kalee...I have a 16 year old daughter who started out with some self harm (cutting) and went on to thoughts of suicide which led to her taking a bottle of Aleve. This all happened around the time the hormones kicked in but seemed to be triggered by the deaths of her Nana and a Great Uncle within weeks of one another. They say that this is very common if somebody is predisposed to be Bipolar, that some type of loss or major stressful change in life either by death, divorce, major move, etc. will trigger it. Has there been an event that has occurred in your life that preceded these moods, self injury and suicidal thoughts??

Also...is there any family history of depression, mental illness, or drug/alcohol abuse??? That would be something that would make if more likely that you have something going on that should be further checked out.

Have you shared any of your concerns with your mom or dad??? The only regret that I had is not getting my daughter the help that she needed sooner than I did. When I found out that she was cutting herself she convinced me that it was something alot of kids did and that she only tried it. And when she took the pills and came right to me I took it as a stupid impulsive thing that she did at the time. But eventually things worstened and we had no idea what was going on until she was accurately diagnosed and treated. Things are so much better now that she is on the right meds and she is back to doing well without having such thoughts and fluctuating moods. Now what we see is the normal teenage behavior which is so much better than seeing her before she was diagnosed.

I would suggest that you share your concerns with your mom or dad. The only way of truly finding out is to go to an adolescent psychiatrist who will do an evaluation to determine if you fit the criteria for Bipolar.

Please don't be afraid...IF you do have Bipolar the sooner it is diagnosed and treated the easier it is to treat and less years will be lost to feeling badly as you do.

Also...my daughter disliked being in crowds and with people too before being on the right meds. It was as if she had to act or feel a certain way that she just couldn't which made things so uncomfortable for her.

Some of the signs that teens show are lots of agitation, irritability, anger which are signs of both depression and mania.

As already mentioned, there is a poster, Paige who will be able to help you out since she is a High School Senior and will be able to relate well to you.

It is good that you are coming here to seek advice. You shouldn't ignore what you are feeling....if it concerns you then it is important for you to have it checked out.

Good luck and keep us all posted with how things are going.

((((((HUGS)))))) ~ Goody:angel: :wave:

The best thing you could do would be to talk to your parents or another adult and see a psychiatrist. Only a psychiatrist can diagnose bipolar disorder.

Hi Kalee. :)

I'm the aforementioned 18y/o. ;) Anyway, I can definitely see where you're coming from, like Naturemomma, I have difficulty in crowds as well. Just too much going on for me to process and I tend to shut down and hide it all away like you've described. I would also advise going to your parents so you can see a psychiatrist as he/she can diagnose you. As Goody said, stress is a HUGE trigger for bipolar and almost anything can seem to set me off sometimes, but right now (after a second hospitalisation), I seem to be stable. But from what you are describing, you are safe right now and won't need a hospitalisation unless things get really bad, which can be prevented by getting diagnosed (if you are bipolar), and being on the proper meds. We can't diagnose you here, but you can always come for answers to questions. :) I hope you see a psychiatrist so you can feel some relief.

~~Paige

I just wanted to say the sooner you speak to someone the sooner you can start to feel better. I agree with Paige that you should let your parents know how you are feeling. Also when things get bad try not to hide it, as I just found out the waiting list for a psychiatrist is much faster if you talk to someone about things when you are actually going through an episode they see you as a more urgent case. However if you wait till you feel ok just because you are embarassed, ashamed or afraid it will take much longer to finally get the help you need. Of course this means things might get worse just because your not getting the appropriate treatment.