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Q. I believe I am bipolar. However, I am not eighteen yet. A friend of mine who sees a doctor says that a therapist or psychiatrist cannot diagnose someone under eighteen with bipolar disorder because we are not old enough to drive and spend money, etc. Is this true? Also, if I went to a regular doctor to explain to them what has been going on, would they be able to diagnose bipolar disorder, OCD, etc?
Brittany
A. Brittany, there are two things going on here: the law and medical practice. The law is rigid. It says you MUST be 18 to do certain things. Medical practice is flexible (usually!). A psychiatrist will try to diagnose kids of any age. It’s harder to diagnose mental illness in a kid but, yes, kids can get something out of seeing psychiatrists. A family doctor? I think a family doctor would refer you to a psychiatrist. Most family doctors are not qualified to diagnose mental illness.
Dr. Bradt
Q. Is granola very fattening or does it have a lot of carbs? I snack on this granola mix from Costco all time. It has nuts and raisins, that kind of thing. I was just wondering if this is just a good snack for me to have to just kind of fill in my cravings.
Thanks, Alex
A. Alex, yes, granola has many carbs. Are you trying to gain weight? If so, granola snacks are one of the best things for you. They are usually very nutritious. If you’re not trying to gain weight, you are better off with carrots, celery, and such. Or just don’t snack at all.
Dr. Bradt
Q. Hi, Doctor. I have family members going back at least two generations that had some kind of mental problems. I am 46, bipolar for over 10 years. My wife and baby died 20 years ago. Was my bipolar disorder always in my system, or could the terrible thing that happened to me have brought it on?
Kevin
Kevin, normally I just tell people that bipolar disorder is inherited, which it is, but, my God! In your case it’s quite possible that what happened combined with your inherited bipolar disorder to give you more symptoms of it than you would otherwise have had.
Dr. Bradt
Q. I believe I am bipolar. However, I am not eighteen yet. A friend of mine who sees a doctor says that a therapist or psychiatrist cannot diagnose someone under eighteen with bipolar disorder because we are not old enough to drive and spend money, etc. Is this true? Also, if I went to a regular doctor to explain to them what has been going on, would they be able to diagnose bipolar disorder, OCD, etc? Brittany A. Brittany, there are two things going on here: the law and medical practice. The law is rigid. It says you MUST be 18 to do certain things. Medical practice is flexible (usually!). A psychiatrist will try to diagnose kids of any age. It's harder to diagnose mental illness in a kid but, yes, kids can get something out of seeing psychiatrists. A family doctor? I think a family doctor would refer you to a psychiatrist. Most family doctors are not qualified to diagnose mental illness. Dr. Bradt Q. Is granola very fattening or does it have a lot of carbs? I snack on this granola mix from Costco all time. It has nuts and raisins, that kind of thing. I was just wondering if this is just a good snack for me to have to just kind of fill in my cravings. Thanks, Alex A. Alex, yes, granola has many carbs. Are you trying to gain weight? If so, granola snacks are one of the best things for you. They are usually very nutritious. If you're not trying to gain weight, you are better off with carrots, celery, and such. Or just don't snack at all. Dr. Bradt
Q. When I'm alone, I sort-of fantasize out loud. When there is nothing to occupy my mind and I get "bored," I sort-of like "talk to myself". I "rehearse" what I would say to certain people in certain situations. There is nobody there, and I know that, and I don't see or hear anybody. If someone comes by, I stop right away, because I don't want them to think I'm "crazy". I've been doing this for as long as I have memories. When I was a child, and I was playing by myself, I would do this. Is this "racingthoughts" or something else? If it's something else, then what is it? Sincerely,
Dr. Bradt Q. I know I have bipolar disorder and accept it. I am 49 and it seems as if I am starting to forget a lot of simple things. I first thought it was Alzheimer's, but my neurologist claims it's bipolar. I am on medication and realize that I will need it the rest of my life. I know bipolar disorder does not go away, but does it worsen with age? Is a need to eat sweets also a symptom? I am in the process of applying for SSI. I can't seem to hold down a job. I have manic episodes while under stress. I also suffer from depression, which causes me to not want to get out of bed. I used to drive a bus professionally. Now I realize that with my meds I simply cannot do this any more. I am depressed at this time just by talking about this problem. Please answer my questions if possible. Thank you, Tanya A. Tanya, some of your questions are better answered by a psychiatrist, but I want to tell you that correctly medicated bipolar disorder rarely worsens with age. I suggest that you ask your psychiatrist to check your med(s).. And maybe your neurologist is incorrectly blaming BD. Maybe a psychologist could test your memory and see if you really do have significant memory loss and, if so, why. Needing sweets is not known to be a BD symptom, but sweets can be very comforting when bipolars, or all people, feel bad.
Q. My name is Amber and I'm 17. My boyfriend is 20 and he's manic depressive. I'm not really sure how to ask it but I'm not really sure of his needs. I need to know some do's or don'ts to keep from setting him off. One thing he does that really gets to me is he tries to make me very jealous. I just act like it doesn't bother me and I think it makes him even more mad. It always seems like he's trying to pick fights with me. Something that happened tonight really confused me. We were having sex and he just kind of stopped and said, "Why does it always have to be about sex?" That kind of shocked me. It was really out of no where. He also always tries to blame everything on me. If he calls me I'll answer the phone and be like YESSS? He takes it the totally wrong way and freaks out. So I just need some pointers on how to treat him and what to do and say or what to not do andwhat not to say. Please help me! Amber
Amber, if you get to the point where you are tiptoeing around your boyfriend and following an exact list of pointers what to do and what not to do: He has won. You can't know what will set him off and what won't. So treat him like you would treat anybody else, and remember that you are a good person who deserves good treatment. Take care, Dr. Bradt
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