Bipolar disorder is characterized by highs and lows known to mental health professionals as depression and mania. Parents who have bipolar disorder may significantly impact their children when they are experiencing phases of depression and mania. If you're a parent with bipolar disorder, you can get help from your doctor and a licensed mental health therapist. Medication and therapy can help reduce the symptoms of bipolar disorder so your children aren't as negatively impacted.
Psychiatric Issues
According to the University of Pittsburgh, children who have a parent with bipolar disorder are more likely to have mental health issues such as anxiety, bipolar disorder and other mood disorders. CNN.com reports that children with a parent who has bipolar disorder are 14 times more likely to experience symptoms of bipolar disorder than children who don't have a parent with this mental health issue. Identifying the symptoms of bipolar disorder at a young age can help the outcome if the child receives mental health services immediately.
Depression
When someone struggling with bipolar disorder becomes depressed, she might be extremely sad, have issues sleeping and eating, feel fatigued, lose pleasure in activities that used to interest her and have thoughts of suicide. Sometimes this causes a parent to be unavailable to her children. The children may not have someone to cook their meals, help them with their homework or make sure they take regular baths. If the parent does not get help for the depression, the children might come to school hungry, look disheveled and have a hard time concentrating. Their grades might drop, and they might have a hard time maintaining friendships with peers.
Also, bipolar disorder increases the risk of suicide. Children who lose a parent to suicide may have to go to foster care, become depressed or need years of therapy. It's devastating to lose a parent, especially for children and teens.
Mania
A parent who is experiencing mania might be extremely irritated or elated, not sleep for days, have a high amount of energy, feel grandiose, have delusions and participate in risky behaviors. It's common for someone who's in a manic phase to be reckless. For instance, he might drive drunk, have unprotected sex with strangers and use high amounts of drugs. A parent may put his children at risk during a manic phase by allowing strangers in the house, driving recklessly with the children in the car or allowing drug users or dealers in the house. Children might become scared when they see a parent experiencing a manic episode and develop anxiety about the parent having future manic episodes.
