Bipolar disorder is a challenge to the patient, family and the therapist. In the past it was called manic-depressive disorder. It usually begins during the teen years or in one’s twenties and can be misdiagonsed for a number of years. This is unfortunate since it delays treatment. Because adolescence already has mood swings and periods of both mania and depression, it can be misunderstood as just a phase. (more…)