Choosing A Mental Health Professional For Teen Bipolar Disorder

Because Bipolar Disorder has only relatively recently been recognized in the child and adolescent population, few psychologists and psychiatrists have experience treating the disorder in that population. In fact, you, as the concerned parent, are likely to come to know more about BP in adolescents than many practitioners. This unfortunate situation requires you to be informed as to when you are getting competent help and when not. Some things to look for are the following:

1. Does your mental health professional (MHP) really listen to both you and your child? He or she cannot accurately diagnose your child without truly understanding your situation and the child’s complete behavior.
2. Does your MHP overtly or implicitly blame you or your parenting style for the problem? While it may be true that you can help your child by adjusting some aspects of your relationship with him or her, you did not cause this complex disorder and you are not to blame.
3. Does your MHP make it clear that he or she knows that what is seen in the office may only be the tip of the iceberg, and that you as the parent know more about your child’s behavior than anyone else.
4. Does your MHP indicate that changing your parenting style or method of disciplining your child will be enough to solve the problem? If so, and if your child has bipolar disorder, your MHP does not understand the problem.
5. If your child exhibits hypersexuality and you know and have stated clearly to your MHP that your child has not been sexually abused, but he or she continues to believe that the child’s hypersexuality is caused by past or current sexual abuse, your MHP does not understand the problem.
6. Does your MHP give you an indication that he or she understands and empathizes with the difficulty of living with this problem from day to day, or does he or she discount your struggle?
7. Is it clear that your MHP has the ability to separate (and help you separate) the behavior from the adolescent’s normal personality? The symptoms (irritability, apathy, distractibility, violence) are the enemy, not the adolescent.
8. Does your MHP indicate to you that even when you follow all of his or her advice and instructions, the child is still more likely than not to experience relapses.
9. If your MHP has not had experience treating bipolar disorder, is he or she willing to refer you to someone who has the requisite experience? No MHP can know everything, and it is his or her ethical duty to refer you to someone who can truly help you if his or her experience is lacking. Also see: Choosing a Therapist.

Of course, mental health professionals are human too, and should not be expected to be perfect. But you should have a good feeling about all of the above, or be able to talk with your MHP about your concerns without him or her becoming defensive or condescending. If that is not the case, look elsewhere for help. You have a huge parenting challenge, and must be able to believe in your psychologist, psychiatrist, and other mental health professionals. In fact, studies have clearly shown that patients’ expectations and the relationship between the mental health professional and the patient (and his or her family) are highly predictive of patient improvement. Insuring that you are working with psychiatrists, psychologists, and other mental health professionals in whom you have confidence and about whom you have good feelings is critical to a good outcome.

Leon Pyle, PhD

More information on Bipolar Disorder:

• Resources & References for Bipolar Disorder