Manic depression?

My 16 yr old has very low self esteme and has been very moody lately. He goes through severe mood changes, one minute he is perfectly happy and another it seems like something triggers him to be depressed and feel low. It used to happen every once in a while and I thought it was because he is a teen but lately it has been happening about twice a week.
He has a mental health evaluation this week for the first time.

If my son is suffering from manic-depression, could the doctor diagnose him at his first evaluation?
Is this something that is treated with medication, therapy or both?
Do you know what I should expect for the first visit?

I asked the receptionist that made the appointment and she just told me the doctor will explain everything when I come in.

When he gets in these moods, I have asked him why he is feeling this way. He says he doesn't know and he can't help it, so I really don't think he can control it.

I would love to say that it is a teenage thing, (which I thought in the beginning) but I'm now thinking it's a medical condition.

ideally he is/should be treated by both. Yes the doc can diagnose him at his first eval. It (depression) isn't too difficult to diagnose. The first visit, most of the time you will be with your son or in a different room while the doc talks with your son. Then at the end you will be told what went on in the meeting.

Please provide support to your son. Even with counseling and medicine, there is nothing better in the world than the support of a parent.

I wouldn't touch this with a guess with a ten foot pole. But you need to write down all your concerns, examples of his mood swings, duration severity etc. so the doc has something to go on.

A depresses person makes a poor source of info just cause their depresed. Any trauma recently i.e. your marriage, his girl, a friend? You see? it's tough, but with bloodwork and a face to face he'll be well on the way to happiness.

the doctor will know but i suggest you get involved and tel them your concerns, manic depression or bipolar disorder is extremes of both moods with some 'ok' periods in between depending on the person, perhaps your son is just goin through teenage emotional turmoil, maybe he is stressed or worried about something. i would discuss your concerns with the doctor, also ask your son how he is feeling and see if he responds (try to ask when he is happier), if he says he has no control of the mood swings and they happen a lot suggest you speak to the doctor again.

I have bipolar disorder a.k.a manic depression. I have been on Lithium Carbonate ( 900mg) for over 10 years. I have been fortunate to find medication and for sometime a good therapist to deal with this. I feel that a combination of support and education and the right medication is very beneficial.

Check out site below for more information. Good Luck and stay supportive to your son. Also, great support groups for parents of a mentally ill child.

Please be careful because "perfectly happy," the way most people mean it, does not mean "manic". At those times, is his speech rapid, thoughts incoherent, judgment poor, and/or he acts like he is full of energy? If none of those are true, then please don't use the word "manic" with his doctor. A misdiagnosis of bipolar disorder, if what he has is simple depression, could be harmful to him in the long run.

I got my own chronic depression (currently in remission, thank God) when I was 16. I was just like he says to you -- there was nothing I could put my finger on to explain my depression. Sometimes, it was so frustrating not being able to explain why I was depressed! It was indeed, for me, a medical condition. Once I got on the right dose of a good antidepressant, it went away and I started feeling *normal* again. Most clinical depression does respond to treatment, so please try to stay optimistic. Your optimism, combined with your taking this seriously, is exactly what your son needs right now!

Your son can't be diagnosed in one treatment especially as Manic depressive.I am Bi-polar and it took 6 doctors and a 6 week stay in a Veterans psychiatric hospital to finally be given the proper medications and therapy I needed.They thought I was bi-schizoid,in between schizophrenia and Bi-polar.Hopefully your son is just having some puberty issues.Make sure he isn't taking drugs behind your back,because they will test him and if they don't tell then to.Best wishes and good luck!

The pdoc will mostly talk to the two of you, and then probably to you son individually. His questions will be general about life attitude, his history, and more specific about mood. Honesty is the most important thing you can bring, and you should probably reinforce with your son that what he tells the doc is privledged and you won't be told or ask about it. Your son may be asked to take a multiple choice test as well. It'd be helpful if you brought along some mood charting - what mood, when, how long, characteristics. The same would be useful from your son. Keep it brief bullet points. Also, write down any questions you have, and that your son has, and bring something to write on so that you can more easily walk away with the info conveyed. This is not unusual, btw. A lot of people bring lists to physician appts as well.

Manic depression is easiest to diagnose when it presents as a few weeks or more of depression, a normal interval, and a few weeks or more of uncharacteristic elation and energy. That's classic, but it's not the only presentation. Other forms usually take longer to diagnose. Bipolar Type II (subthreshold mania only) takes on average 10 years to get the right dx. If your son is alternating between depressed and relatively normal, he probably will not be diagnosed bipolar and most likely bipolar isn't his issue. Personally, I would be reluctant to jump into mood stabilizers unless the symptoms are clearly bipolar. They can be harsh, it's a lifetime commitment, and your son has to be ready to take them forever. That won't happen unless he experiences a significant benefit. The life time treatment also means that you want to definitely be right before you start. You should be aware, however, that response to antidepressants can also be an indication of manic depression. I mention this because it may be where your pdoc goes first. Bipolars usually experience: no response, a response that peters out, an induced mixed state (depressed and manic - highly agitated with racing thoughts), or hypo/mania. Last, work with the pdoc for a bit, and then go get a second opinion. There are no physical tests for mental illness, just conclusions drawn from behavior and preceptions of the world. It is the type of illness that definitely merits more than one professional opinion.

~bipolar

Another name for clinical depression is unipolar depression. This term makes reference to another form of depression called bipolar, or 鈥榤anic鈥?depression. What distinguishes these two forms is that a person suffering from the bipolar type will display mania, or mania followed by depression whereas unipolar affective disorder is characterised by depression alone. Whether a person is suffering from one or the other is not always entirely obvious since the pattern of the manic disorder is not regular one. Additionally, other disorders such as delirium, dementia and psychosis also feature symptoms which are similar to depression and can, therefore, be misdiagnosed.

You can find out more about the symptoms of depression from here: http://depression.best-health-remedy.com

It IS a medical condition. A competent therapist can tell if it's manic/depression at the first visit. Understand that all therapists aren't as well trained or competent. I acquired M/D in 1983. I had an episode and went to the hospital and stayed there for 5 1/2 wks. This is abnormal. Why was I there that long ? I have an unusual strain of the disease. I don't get the depressive side. I am strictly manic. It is called unipolar. Many unipolar patients get JUST the depressive side. Only about 1-2 % of manic people get the strain I have experience.

My first therapist didn't know that it existed. He was waiting for me to have the depressive cycle. After being released, I moved to another state and had a relapse almost immediately. Back to the hospital but this time a new therapist who knew of this strain. I went home in 4 days. Now I live a normal life and no one other than my wife knows of my problem. My attacks are totally under control (I have stopped the last 4 shortly after their onset). I got to this point when I learned to accept what I had and how I had to deal with it. Your son will have to do the same. The first step is denial, which I went thru. So you'll have to hang with him and give him support. He's not doing this to spite you. You may find that much of this is heriditary and it can skip a generation once in a while. Once my afflication was discovered, we found that my sister had a different manifestation and that explained a lot of things that had happened in her life.

I wish you and your son well. You both can do what has to be done. A little good luck wouldn't hurt.