Bipolar disorder is not uncommon in teenagers. Although its median onset age is 25, bipolar disorder can manifest at any age. Studies indicate that it can manifest as early as 12 years old. Bipolar disorder is most commonly diagnosed in individuals between the ages of fifteen and twenty-four. These cases account for 53% of all bipolar diagnoses. Like all other mental health conditions, bipolar disorder affects everyone differently. It can manifest differently depending on your teen’s sex.
This article seeks to guide parents about the key differences in bipolar manifestation in teen girls and boys. It will also highlight treatment and diagnosis challenges faced by mental health practitioners. If you require any more information or are seeking immediate professional help, contact NexStep Teen Academy. We can walk you through our programs and help you better understand how we can help your son or daughter.
Key Differences in Bipolar Disorder Between Teen Girls and Teen Boys
Before jumping into the key differences between bipolar disorder in teen girls and boys, we must first look at its prevalence. According to studies, bipolar disorder affects girls and boys equally. Unlike other conditions, like depression, there is no difference between bipolar prevalence in boys and girls. However, some studies show that bipolar disorder may be higher in girls than in boys. Girls account for 3.3% of cases, while boys account for 2.6% of cases of bipolar disorder.
Now that we understand its prevalence, we can look at the key differences between girls and boys.
Mood Symptoms and Emotional Regulation
The main difference in bipolar manifestation across sexes is how it manifests. Bipolar II disorder is more common in girls than boys. Bipolar II can cause your teen to experience debilitating depression. Its main diagnostic criterion is at least one major depressive episode.
Teens with this type of bipolar disorder never experience manic episodes. Instead, they experience less intense hypomanic episodes. Studies show that teen girls are more likely to have this type of bipolar disorder. It is estimated that 75% of teen girls experience a depressive episode as their first sign of the condition. In contrast, about 67% of boys experience depression.
On the other hand, teen boys are more likely to have bipolar I disorder. This type of bipolar disorder causes your teen to experience manic episodes. These are distinct episodes of elevated energy, mood, and activity levels. During a manic episode, your teen may also experience psychosis. This means that they become dissociated from reality while experiencing hallucinations and paranoia.
Similarly, teen boys with bipolar disorder are more likely to engage in risky behavior such as substance use and aggressive behaviors. Due to manic episodes, teen boys tend to be more aggressive and emotionally dysregulated.
Studies indicate that teen girls are more prone to ‘rapid cycling.’ This means that their moods change frequently over a short period. When your teen is in rapid cycling, they change from manic to depressive episodes quickly. It is estimated that 30% of female teens with bipolar disorder experience rapid cycling. This is almost twice as much as boys, who account for 16% of rapid cycling cases. Rapid cycling has been attributed to menstruation and hormonal changes.
Behavioral and Social Differences
Your teen girl may behave differently when they have bipolar disorder. For instance, teen girls are more likely to have suicidal ideation and self-harm tendencies. Did you know that teen girls with bipolar disorder are three times as likely to attempt suicide? This is likely due to overwhelming and debilitating depression. Your teen girl may not think they have another way to overcome depression. This leads them to plan how they can end their suffering.
Similarly, girls are more likely to engage in self-harm as a coping mechanism. When your teen engages in self-harm, their body releases endorphins. Endorphins can be powerful mood stabilizers. They also relieve both physical and emotional pain. Self-harm offers temporary relief but worsens mental health outcomes over time.
Bipolar disorder is also less likely to be diagnosed early in teen girls. Studies indicate that boys get diagnosed earlier because they are more likely to experience manic episodes. Since girls are more likely to experience depressive episodes, they get misdiagnosed more often. Mental health practitioners are also more likely to prescribe antidepressants to girls than to boys. This leads to rapid cycling, which makes it hard to manage bipolar symptoms.
Diagnosis and Treatment Challenges
A bipolar disorder diagnosis can be difficult. It is generally underdiagnosed because its symptoms overlap with other mental health conditions.
Why Bipolar Disorder is Often Misdiagnosed in Teen Girls
Many parents confuse bipolar disorder with normal teenage mood swings. Since teen girls are viewed as more emotional, they are less likely to be diagnosed with bipolar disorder. They may never even go to the hospital for their condition. Additionally, the most common first sign of bipolar disorder in teen girls is depression. This makes it hard for mental health practitioners to diagnose bipolar disorder. To remedy this, you need to make sure that your teen girl goes for follow-up appointments to ensure an accurate diagnosis. Additionally, you need to encourage your teen to fill in their mood chart regularly. This will help in getting a correct diagnosis.
Why Bipolar Disorder is Underdiagnosed in Teen Boys
Bipolar disorder is often underdiagnosed in teen boys for a number of reasons. For instance, its symptoms frequently overlap with other conditions like ADHD. When your teen boy is irritable, you will likely dismiss their symptoms as typical teenage behavior. Their hyperactivity, irritability, and distractibility are more likely to be attributed to ADHD. Similarly, mania-induced psychosis can easily be mistaken for schizophrenia.
Generally, medical practitioners tend to overlook bipolar disorder in teenagers. They often misdiagnose or underdiagnose it. The DSM-V criteria for bipolar disorder require that its symptoms should not be attributable to other conditions like schizophrenia. This makes it more likely that mental health practitioners will match your teen’s symptoms to different conditions.
Treatment of Bipolar Disorder at NexStep Teen Academy
At NexStep Teen Academy, we offer high-quality teen outpatient treatment for bipolar disorder. We create individualized treatment plans that combine both holistic and evidence-based approaches to ensure thorough treatment throughout the process. Since bipolar disorder is a lifelong mental health condition, NexStep combines medication management and psychotherapy.
We also offer varying levels of care. For example, teenagers requiring high levels of care are enrolled in our Teen Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP) while those requiring little supervision are admitted in our outpatient program. Moreover, we also offer residential care at our sister programs for teens who need more intensive treatment options. Our highly experienced staff use their wealth of experience to ensure your teen’s symptoms are effectively managed.
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
Traditional talk therapy is an effective way of managing bipolar symptoms. Teen CBT is based on the idea that thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are connected. It will help your teen identify problematic thoughts and modify them to more positive ones. It can help teens with bipolar disorder reduce their negative behaviors.
Medication
We offer medication management for teens with bipolar disorder to ensure that your teen is getting the correct doses at the proper times. This will help build a sustainable routine that can help them with their day-to-day lives.
If you require any more information about the differences between bipolar manifestation in teen girls and boys or are interested in learning more about our treatment services, contact us today.
Normal teenage mood swings are sudden changes in mood. They are less intense and last only a few minutes or hours. Bipolar disorder is a chronic mood disorder that causes sudden changes in mood, energy, and activity levels. It usually cycles from low-energy episodes (depressive episodes) to high-energy ones (manic episodes). These episodes last for days, weeks, or even months.
Social pressure affects girls more than boys. Girls are expected to act more normally despite their mental health condition. They are also more likely to be isolated by their peers. They are also more likely to be misunderstood by medical practitioners. On the other hand, boys may be underdiagnosed as their behavior is labeled ‘normal teenage behavior.’
Bipolar Disorder in Teen Girls vs. Teen Boys
Table of Contents
Bipolar disorder is not uncommon in teenagers. Although its median onset age is 25, bipolar disorder can manifest at any age. Studies indicate that it can manifest as early as 12 years old. Bipolar disorder is most commonly diagnosed in individuals between the ages of fifteen and twenty-four. These cases account for 53% of all bipolar diagnoses. Like all other mental health conditions, bipolar disorder affects everyone differently. It can manifest differently depending on your teen’s sex.
This article seeks to guide parents about the key differences in bipolar manifestation in teen girls and boys. It will also highlight treatment and diagnosis challenges faced by mental health practitioners. If you require any more information or are seeking immediate professional help, contact NexStep Teen Academy. We can walk you through our programs and help you better understand how we can help your son or daughter.
Key Differences in Bipolar Disorder Between Teen Girls and Teen Boys
Before jumping into the key differences between bipolar disorder in teen girls and boys, we must first look at its prevalence. According to studies, bipolar disorder affects girls and boys equally. Unlike other conditions, like depression, there is no difference between bipolar prevalence in boys and girls. However, some studies show that bipolar disorder may be higher in girls than in boys. Girls account for 3.3% of cases, while boys account for 2.6% of cases of bipolar disorder.
Now that we understand its prevalence, we can look at the key differences between girls and boys.
Mood Symptoms and Emotional Regulation
The main difference in bipolar manifestation across sexes is how it manifests. Bipolar II disorder is more common in girls than boys. Bipolar II can cause your teen to experience debilitating depression. Its main diagnostic criterion is at least one major depressive episode.
Teens with this type of bipolar disorder never experience manic episodes. Instead, they experience less intense hypomanic episodes. Studies show that teen girls are more likely to have this type of bipolar disorder. It is estimated that 75% of teen girls experience a depressive episode as their first sign of the condition. In contrast, about 67% of boys experience depression.
On the other hand, teen boys are more likely to have bipolar I disorder. This type of bipolar disorder causes your teen to experience manic episodes. These are distinct episodes of elevated energy, mood, and activity levels. During a manic episode, your teen may also experience psychosis. This means that they become dissociated from reality while experiencing hallucinations and paranoia.
Similarly, teen boys with bipolar disorder are more likely to engage in risky behavior such as substance use and aggressive behaviors. Due to manic episodes, teen boys tend to be more aggressive and emotionally dysregulated.
Studies indicate that teen girls are more prone to ‘rapid cycling.’ This means that their moods change frequently over a short period. When your teen is in rapid cycling, they change from manic to depressive episodes quickly. It is estimated that 30% of female teens with bipolar disorder experience rapid cycling. This is almost twice as much as boys, who account for 16% of rapid cycling cases. Rapid cycling has been attributed to menstruation and hormonal changes.
Behavioral and Social Differences
Your teen girl may behave differently when they have bipolar disorder. For instance, teen girls are more likely to have suicidal ideation and self-harm tendencies. Did you know that teen girls with bipolar disorder are three times as likely to attempt suicide? This is likely due to overwhelming and debilitating depression. Your teen girl may not think they have another way to overcome depression. This leads them to plan how they can end their suffering.
Similarly, girls are more likely to engage in self-harm as a coping mechanism. When your teen engages in self-harm, their body releases endorphins. Endorphins can be powerful mood stabilizers. They also relieve both physical and emotional pain. Self-harm offers temporary relief but worsens mental health outcomes over time.
Bipolar disorder is also less likely to be diagnosed early in teen girls. Studies indicate that boys get diagnosed earlier because they are more likely to experience manic episodes. Since girls are more likely to experience depressive episodes, they get misdiagnosed more often. Mental health practitioners are also more likely to prescribe antidepressants to girls than to boys. This leads to rapid cycling, which makes it hard to manage bipolar symptoms.
Diagnosis and Treatment Challenges
A bipolar disorder diagnosis can be difficult. It is generally underdiagnosed because its symptoms overlap with other mental health conditions.
Why Bipolar Disorder is Often Misdiagnosed in Teen Girls
Many parents confuse bipolar disorder with normal teenage mood swings. Since teen girls are viewed as more emotional, they are less likely to be diagnosed with bipolar disorder. They may never even go to the hospital for their condition. Additionally, the most common first sign of bipolar disorder in teen girls is depression. This makes it hard for mental health practitioners to diagnose bipolar disorder. To remedy this, you need to make sure that your teen girl goes for follow-up appointments to ensure an accurate diagnosis. Additionally, you need to encourage your teen to fill in their mood chart regularly. This will help in getting a correct diagnosis.
Why Bipolar Disorder is Underdiagnosed in Teen Boys
Bipolar disorder is often underdiagnosed in teen boys for a number of reasons. For instance, its symptoms frequently overlap with other conditions like ADHD. When your teen boy is irritable, you will likely dismiss their symptoms as typical teenage behavior. Their hyperactivity, irritability, and distractibility are more likely to be attributed to ADHD. Similarly, mania-induced psychosis can easily be mistaken for schizophrenia.
Generally, medical practitioners tend to overlook bipolar disorder in teenagers. They often misdiagnose or underdiagnose it. The DSM-V criteria for bipolar disorder require that its symptoms should not be attributable to other conditions like schizophrenia. This makes it more likely that mental health practitioners will match your teen’s symptoms to different conditions.
Treatment of Bipolar Disorder at NexStep Teen Academy
At NexStep Teen Academy, we offer high-quality teen outpatient treatment for bipolar disorder. We create individualized treatment plans that combine both holistic and evidence-based approaches to ensure thorough treatment throughout the process. Since bipolar disorder is a lifelong mental health condition, NexStep combines medication management and psychotherapy.
We also offer varying levels of care. For example, teenagers requiring high levels of care are enrolled in our Teen Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP) while those requiring little supervision are admitted in our outpatient program. Moreover, we also offer residential care at our sister programs for teens who need more intensive treatment options. Our highly experienced staff use their wealth of experience to ensure your teen’s symptoms are effectively managed.
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
Traditional talk therapy is an effective way of managing bipolar symptoms. Teen CBT is based on the idea that thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are connected. It will help your teen identify problematic thoughts and modify them to more positive ones. It can help teens with bipolar disorder reduce their negative behaviors.
Medication
We offer medication management for teens with bipolar disorder to ensure that your teen is getting the correct doses at the proper times. This will help build a sustainable routine that can help them with their day-to-day lives.
If you require any more information about the differences between bipolar manifestation in teen girls and boys or are interested in learning more about our treatment services, contact us today.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Normal teenage mood swings are sudden changes in mood. They are less intense and last only a few minutes or hours. Bipolar disorder is a chronic mood disorder that causes sudden changes in mood, energy, and activity levels. It usually cycles from low-energy episodes (depressive episodes) to high-energy ones (manic episodes). These episodes last for days, weeks, or even months.
Social pressure affects girls more than boys. Girls are expected to act more normally despite their mental health condition. They are also more likely to be isolated by their peers. They are also more likely to be misunderstood by medical practitioners. On the other hand, boys may be underdiagnosed as their behavior is labeled ‘normal teenage behavior.’