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Therapeutic schools can help children who have parents with bipolar disorder

By Staff Writer

A recent study in Psychological Medicine reveals that individuals who have a bipolar parent tend to have higher everyday stress levels than people who do not. The study looked at 14 to 28 year olds, suggesting that even when adults no longer live with their bipolar parent, they still experience high rises in their levels of cortisol, a hormone released in times of stress.

The U.S. National Library of Medicine reports that while the exact cause of bipolar disorder is unknown, individuals who have relatives with the issue have a higher chance of suffering from the illness. Bipolar disorder can also be triggered by periods without sleep, drug use, medications and life changes.

People who have the disorder go through alternating periods of depression and mania. During depression, an adult may have different eating habits, trouble concentrating, fatigue, persistent sadness or thoughts of death. When that same individual is in mania, he or she will display signs such as irritation, inflated self-esteem, over-involvement in activities, binge eating and little need for sleep.

If parents with bipolar disorder want to shield their children from their alternating symptoms, they can consider enrolling them in therapeutic schools.  

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