8 Ways Bipolar Impacts a Teen’s Education

During teenage years, emotional highs and lows tend to come with the territory. In some cases, however, a teen’s drastic mood swings are not just a temporary phase. Bipolar disorder is characterized by episodes of extreme elation and severe depression. While bipolar can affect people of all ages, its symptoms can have a particularly severe impact on a teen’s education. With the right support, however, teens with bipolar can manage their symptoms and achieve academic success. 

So how does bipolar impact a teen in school?

1. Distracting depression

Teens with bipolar struggle with depressive episodes that make it hard to engage in learning. Low energy, diminished interests, and feelings of worthlessness can make concentration difficult. Sometimes depression is expressed as obvious sadness, while other times it can manifest as anger, withdrawal from friends, or excessive sleeping. Teens with bipolar are at heightened risk for self-harm and substance abuse, making an appropriate education plan critical for supporting their mental health.

2. Manic moments

In addition to depression, bipolar is characterized by periods of manic behaviors. During manic episodes, a teen may seem jittery and hyperactive. They might be abnormally irritable and often exhibit a “nothing can hurt me,” type of attitude, leading to risky, self-destructive behaviors. This restlessness and impulsivity doesn’t mesh well with typical classroom expectations of staying seated, quiet, and attentive.

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3. Rapid mood cycles

Adults with bipolar tend to have long, alternating stretches of depression and mania. Kids with bipolar on the other hand, may have sudden mood changes several times a week, day, or even hour. This rapid mood cycling is a hallmark of bipolar in teens, making the disorder particularly difficult to diagnose and manage. Recording the teen’s patterns of behavior can help parents and educators anticipate manic and depressive episodes and better inform the child’s academic plan.

4. Troubles with teachers

Kids with bipolar don’t mean to cause trouble, but sometimes their symptoms can be disruptive in class. The key to successful behavior management is a customized behavioral plan developed between the teacher, parent, and 504/IEP team. School faculty should have a behavior intervention plan in place to build on the child’s positive skills and empower teachers to learn appropriate responses.

5. Brain boggles

Symptoms of bipolar can make learning hard in a typical classroom setting. Kids with bipolar often struggle to focus and remember information. They often have poor problem-solving skills and weak hand-eye coordination. Once a teen receives a bipolar diagnosis, they may be eligible for a variety of accommodations to support them, such as extended test times, flexible due dates, modified assignments, strategic seating, and calming breaks.

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6. Frustrating side effects

Though medications can make bipolar symptoms more manageable, they can also create side effects that impact a teen in class. Medications may lower energy levels and cause sleepiness, slurred speech, and cognitive dulling. Some medicines also cause distracting physical symptoms such as nausea and excessive thirst, making a 6+ hour school day uncomfortable for both in-person and online students.

7. Misdiagnosis

An estimated 1 million American kids live with bipolar disorder, but most are undiagnosed, lacking treatment, and struggling in school. Because many of its symptoms mirror other disorders, bipolar is often misdiagnosed as clinical depression, anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorder, or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, resulting in insufficient academic supports. An accurate diagnosis is a critical first step in determining effective services, accommodations, and interventions. 

For example, unlike ADHD, a Bipolar diagnosis often qualifies a student for a “seriously emotionally disturbed” (SED) designation within the special education system. That label might sound troubling, but in some states an SED designation provides access to better services such as out-of-district placements, residential placements, or therapeutic day school.

Disagree with the school’s evaluation of your teen’s needs? Click here to learn how an Independent Educational Evaluation (IEE) can help

Helping Your Teen with Bipolar Succeed

Once a child receives a diagnosis, the laws outlined in IDEA entitle them to special accommodations, auxiliary aids, and services. It can be challenging to know how to navigate IDEA’s policies and determine how they can be applied toward your child’s best interests. Our team can streamline your child’s success by providing diagnostic testing, an independent educational evaluation (IEE), on-campus IEP/504 consulting, and detailed recommendations to help your teen thrive.

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More about Variations Psychology

Variations Psychology is a group practice specializing in diagnostic testing to identify psychological conditions.

Our comprehensive evaluations test for conditions that impact mental health and development such as ADHD, autism spectrum disorders, depression, anxiety, learning disorders, and developmental delays. 

In addition to diagnostic services, we offer Independent Educational Evaluations (IEEs) of K-12 students to assess needs for accommodations in school and determine their appropriate placements. IEEs provide an objective second opinion on existing IEP and 504 Plans.

For K-12 and post-secondary students, we offer evaluations to assess needs for accommodations on standardized tests, college entrance exams (e.g. - SAT, ACT, AP Exams) and graduate and professional licensing exams (e.g. - MCAT, LSAT, GRE, CBEST, NCLEX, GMAT, CA Cosmetology Exam, CA Contractors State Licensing Exam, CA Bar Exam).

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Variations Psychology is located in Newport Beach, CA and provides psychological testing to residents throughout Orange County and its surrounding areas including Newport Beach, Newport Coast, Irvine, Shady Canyon, Laguna Beach, Laguna Hills, Coto de Caza, Corona del Mar, Costa Mesa, Yorba Linda, Dana Point, Laguna Niguel, Aliso Viejo, Mission Viejo, Pelican Hill, Crystal Cove, Rancho Santa Margarita, San Clemente, Lake Forest, Huntington Beach, Sunset Beach, Seal Beach, and more.

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How to Cite This Blog Article:

Shinn. M.M. (2020). 8 Ways Bipolar Impacts a Teen’s Education. Psychologically Speaking. [Variations Psychology blog post]. Retrieved from https://www.variationspsychology.com/blogs/8-ways-bipolar-impacts-a-teens-education