manic depression in older teenagers

[jetcat]

I have just been told that my younger brother (foster brother but have known him from when he was a baby) has just been diagnosed with manic depression. They think the trigger was yet another ajournment of a court case a couple of month ago, the result of when he was seriously attacked last year.

He lost his big brother in 2001, and has had to grow up in his shadow almost - he is the absolute double of him - and i know he finds that hard.

As they live some distance from me, details are sketchy at the moment - all that i know is that the docs have been with him for a while today, put him on meds and he has to see a psychiatrist again next week.

Although i have depression myself, it is not manic depression, and i am ashamed to say that all that i know about it is from what is portrayed on the tele, which isnt always that reliable.

Please can anyone help calm me a little, and reassure me that it isnt as bad as i am imagining. He cant be left at the moment, so i am thinking he is at risk of self harm

when you say diagnosed with 'manic depression'- do you mean bipolar disorder?.

How old is he/>?

My SIL was diagnosed when she was about 19. She was very ill and the family had to work in shifts to be with her as she couldn't be left alone. It wasn't so much deliberate self harm they were worried about IYSWIM. She tried to jump out of windows a couple of times so she was pretty bad. All cases are different btw.

But roll on 12 years, she has been on medication since then and, once they got it right she has been as right as rain. She completed her studies, got a good job, is married and had her first baby this summer. I would never have believed she could live the life she does when I saw the way she was back then. It really isn't the end.

he is 19 tired. I just got an email from foster mum, she is too upset to talk on the phone, so am very sketchy with details. She said manic depression, but i guess she could mean severe depression

He has been locked in his room for weeks, barely eating and talking, lost contact with friends etc - but he had said this was because he had stopped taking weed, and as all his friends were still taking it, he didnt want to be around him.

I have to say, i havent seen him 'manic' - in the sense of what i imagine that to mean, but i dont know much. its all just a huge shock. He is such a lovely boy, and has had to deal with so much.

thanks rockbird, glad to hear your SIL is doing much better They are doing the watching shifts at the moment, but they dont really know what to do for the best.

I dont know how much support i can be, 300 miles away, and feel pretty useless

Its a nightmare when you only know some of the facts, v hard to cope with. It might sound funny but what you're hearing now is the GOOD news - that people know something is wrong and he is going to get help. Its maybe not the same but I've two friends whose sons were diagnosed with a mental illness in late teens/early 20s - some years later they're both living independently and back at their studies.

Its a nightmare when you only know some of the facts, v hard to cope with. It might sound funny but what you're hearing now is the GOOD news - that people know something is wrong and he is going to get help. Its maybe not the same but I've two friends whose sons were diagnosed with a mental illness in late teens/early 20s - some years later they're both living independently and back at their studies.

if it is bipolar disorder (which is the new name for manic depression) that means he will basically have mega, mega mood swings. The frequency is different with different people, but most people take at least a few weeks to swing between one and the other.

So, he will be depressed, low energy, low mood, possibly suicidal/self harming, low motivation, etc

Then, he will go manic - so loads of energy, too much to cope with. He may get grand schemes where he could sort out all the worlds problems, spend loads of money, take out loans, give away possesions, be mega creative, stay up for days on end, but again sometime this end of stuff can lead to self harming etc as it is just too much to cope with.

Sometimes there are psychotic symptoms at either end (ie believing something that isn't true- hallucinations, delusions, etc)

Many people with bipolar disorder live completely normal lives, and there can be long gaps between cycles. Others aren't so lucky, but they can get better.

I once heard it described as not having the "stops" on the end of your mood scale. Most people have good days and bad days- that is normal. It is when the moods get so out of control that you lose control of yourself that it is a problem.

The most famous person that I can think of with the disorder is Stephen Fry, who suffers quite severely, or so I hear.

still double posting there iggs

Thats kind of the message i sent back to them - that at least he is now getting treated, as we have been worried about him for a while now. Its just a huge shock - his mum is terrified he is going to harm himself and she will loose him aswell - she has already lost two sons I cant begin to imagine how hard it must be for her.

thanks WABP, he is at the low mood end then, and has been for weeks

I know people live with it, and can have normal lives - it is just a huge shock for me today, so please forgive me if i am rambling

www.mind.org.uk/help/diagnoses_and_conditions/bipolar_disorder_manic_depression

A good link for you :)