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Bipolar Disorder/could my child be bipolar??

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Expert: - 5/11/2004


Question
My 14 yo daughter is beautiful, smart, funny and happy most of the time.  She has been cutting herself within the last year when she gets depressed.  She also claims to hear voices (bad, negative voices) and is questioning her faith. She feels no purpose in life and hates herself why? I can't understand. She is very self absorbed and likes wearing tight sexy clothes.  I'm just telling you the basics of her to give as much info as I can.  How can I help her?
All in a nut shell......

Concerned mother..
Jeanie

Answer
Hi . . .

AS you realize the behavior of your daughter is unusual.  There are a number of conditions that can lead to the behavior you describe. The only way to get to the bottom of what is going on would be for your daughter to have a psychiatric evaluation.  Only a psychiatrist can properly diagnose your daughter's problem.

Could she be Bipolar? Yes she could.  The probability would eb increased if there are ANY Bipolar relatives.

Best regards . . .

Ivan
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Ivan Goldberg, M.D.

Expertise

I am a psychiatrist/psychopharmacologist with many years of expereince in treating individuals with depressions, manic-depression (Bipolar Disorder), other mood disorders,. I am especially interested in the psychopharmacologic treatment of individuals with so called "treatment-resistant" syndromes.

Experience

I have been on the staff of the National Institute of Mental Health, Columbia's College of Physicians and Surgeons, and the Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center. I am currently in full-time private practice in New York City.

A.B. Johns Hopkins University
M.D. N.Y.U. College of Medicine

I am the creator of Depression Central:http://www.psycom.net/depression.central.html

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