(HealthDay News) -- Bipolar disorder (also known as manic-depression) is a serious but treatable medical illness. It is a disorder of the brain marked by extreme changes in mood, energy, thinking and behavior.
Symptoms may be present since infancy or early childhood, or may suddenly emerge in adolescence or adulthood.
If your child is being treated for bipolar disorder, the Child and Adolescent Bipolar Foundation suggests that you supplement that treatment with what it calls therapeutic parenting -- techniques that can help calm your child when he or she is symptomatic. These techniques include:
- Practicing and teaching the child how to relax.
- Prioritizing battles and letting go of less important matters.
- Using music and sound, lighting, water and massage to assist the child with waking, falling asleep and relaxation.
- Helping the child anticipate and prepare for stressful situations by developing coping strategies beforehand.
- Removing objects from the home (or locking them in a safe place) that could be used to harm one's self or others during a rage -- especially guns and other weapons. Also, keep medications in a locked cabinet or box.
