As I was reading through older blogs to see what has been covered I came across one on bipolar that caught my eye. Bipolar has become an interesting phenomenon in the mental health world. It used to be known as “Manic-Depressive Disorder” and was considered to be rare. Then the new diagnostic criteria came out, and all of a sudden I started seeing it diagnosed more and more. I started hearing “I’m Bipolar” as a reason for behaviors. Children started carrying the label, even though they truly did not meet the full diagnostic criteria. My colleagues and I started questioning … Continue reading →

I was talking to a co-worker the other day and we were discussing a teenage client who has extreme mood swings. One minute he’s happy go lucky, joking and laughing, the next he’s angry at the world and wants to hurt someone. “I’m guessing he’s Bipolar ,” my peer said. I just rolled my eyes. Often people will say things like this when dealing with moody people. After all, most know that people who suffer from Bipolar Disorder have extreme ups and extreme downs. The misconception that most people have is that these ups and downs happen quickly, like mood … Continue reading →