What were BP's like as children? - Bipolar Disorder Message Board

jendg28 · 07-30-2007, 02:29 PM

I often wonder how other people with Bipolar Disorder were like as children/teens. I wasn't diagnosed until I was 28 years old, but I can trace my symptoms back to when I was about 16, and depression symptoms back to about 12 years old. I was a straight A student until mid term my junior year in HS. I went from all A's to D's and F's. I became defiant, irritable, and starting experimenting with drugs and alcohol. I continued that behavior until I was about 18. Every once in a while, I would slip right back into the bad behavior, before you knew it, I was behaving well again. With periods of depression in between. I had my first bout of suicidal thoughts when I was 20, and it didn't occur again until I was 28. I was misdiagnosed with OCD when I was about 25. Not until I was severely manic and suicidal did I get diagnosed with BP 1.

goody2shuz · 07-30-2007, 03:56 PM

Jen ~ Good topic for this forum.

I think that answering your question will open up the eyes of BPers as well as parents of BPers (like myself

) who sometimes question the symptoms and diagnosis of BP.

From what I have researched, it often takes up to 10 years from the onset of the first symtoms of BP for it to actually be diagnosed. Seems that most of that probably stems from the person hiding or covering up the symptoms OR parents like myself attributing the behavior to rebellious teenage behavior. It took about 2 or 3 years for us to realize that our daughter had something else going on....and then another 7 months of therapy and 4 hospitalizations within 4 months before she was diagnosed.

Before our daughter was diagnosed she was irritable, easily frustrated, defiant, getting into all sorts of trouble doing impulsive things like shoplifting, running away, telling her friends and teachers that she was abused at home so that she could live somewhere else, hypersexual, lying, manipulative, angry and cursing.....our household was anything but peaceful. For a while we thought it was drug related or a phase of rebellion. Then we had the self harm and suicidal attempts which made us see that there was more to it that had us seek out help....and finally the induced hypomania from the SSRI she was on.

As a child she was very social but sensitive, she was easily offended when somebody seemed to not include her. This worstened around her middle school years when her best friend branched out to make friends with others and she wasn't included. She still can get caught up in the emotions of things and is very sensitive to noise and external stimuli which started when she was a preteen.

She's smart and does well in school but lacks interest at times. But when something interests her she almost becomes obsessive about it. She is very clingy with boys almost to the point of somewhat losing her identity....but she is learning to do better with that. Her self esteem is low, she constantly picks out her flaws and seeks validation from others and when they tell her that she looks good she doesn't believe them. Again she is working on that in therapy as well. Oh, and she is constantly saying she is bored if she doesn't have something to do....I hear that is a common feeling among BPers.

So that is what I can share with you regarding my daughter and I look forward to hearing how BPers were when they were children/teens because every once in a while I do question the diagnosis but seem to see so many similarities between her and other teen BPers described on this forum.

I look forward to hearing other responses to this thread.

~ Goody

jendg28 · 07-30-2007, 05:14 PM

The fact that your daughter was sensitive as a child is very interesting to me. I was also very sensitive as a pre-teen.

SC guy · 07-30-2007, 06:28 PM

Im 22 and was diagnosed a year ago. I was a very ordinary kid who was well liked, made good grades and had a good attitude. Thats why this thing really hit me by suprise. However, my manic episode which caused me to be hospitalized felt EXTREMELY similar to night terrors I would have as a young child. The doctors told me there was probably no correlation, but who knows. Also when I had my manic episode, I was at the peak of my drinking and drug use, which might not have been a coincidence.

liz49 · 07-30-2007, 06:40 PM

My daughter was sweet, loving, caring, had a ton of friends, was always looking out for the underdog, was creative and talented, brilliant and artistic, adored her daddy, wanted to be with her family as much as possible, loved her home and her life and her religion--studied it deeply and often I would find her on her knees in prayer for a friend or relative in need.

In High School, she joined Debate, I have no idea why. I swear the debate coach was ***** in a dress. Sara learned how to argue, fight, put people down and lie--in short, she was an excellent debater and won a ton of trophies.....and lost herself along the way. Hung out with only other debaters, the "too cool, too intellectual for school" group and lost all her other friends--actually cut them out of her life. Got depressed, put enormous pressures on herself and HAD enormous pressure put on her to win win win. I know now she was was probably BP back then, but didn't know enough to see it. Graduated a year early from HS, went to college but had no support network and was miserable, depressed and lonely. It's been downhill since then. Left our faith, hates God, hates me, hates life. Says most every day how much everything sucks, her whole life, everything, everybody. I can't even bear to LOOK at pics of her as a little girl---she was such a gem, and now, as an adult she's so jaded and hateful and miserable. I keep looking for something of that choice little girl in her.....and there is nothing.
Yet, I still hope. It's all a mom can do.

liz