It took five years, but Rebekah finally received the right diagnosis and the right medication, one that controls her depression but doesn't stimulate her mania. She has been stable for the past few months. Experts say it's easy for parents to feel guilty that they didn't get help for teens with mental illnesses. Monica Preston sure did. But it's not the teen's, the parents' or the world's fault.
Teens easily can mask their mental illness with substance abuse and behavioral problems.
Or the illness can be misdiagnosed as another youth mental disorder, such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. I found out that wasn't true. It also estimates 20 percent to 40 percent of depressed children will develop bipolar disorder within five years after depression begins. Girls are more likely than boys to develop depression. But boys are more likely to commit suicide than girls.