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April 5, 2004

Mental Health

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Question from Vlinton, Tennessee USA:

My daughter, who will be 13 in September, seems somewhat depressed. She has not been wanting to take her insulin injections and has been sleeping a lot lately. One minute she is happy and the next it’s like she just snaps! Could she be bipolar? I am bipolar, manic depressive with ADD. I think she might have something related. Could this be possible? Her blood sugars have been anywhere from 120 to 300 mg/dl [6.7 to 16.7 mmol/L]. This is the highest it’s been since her diagnosis in June 2003. I’m concerned for my daughter right now. Does this usually come out of teens with type 1 diabetes or is it normal? Should I be concerned?

Answer:

From: DTeam Staff

There is really no way to determine if your daughter is suffering from bipolar illness from a brief paragraph describing her. This is a serious diagnosis, as you already know, and must be made after careful evaluation by a mental health professional. Bipolar illness has a strong genetic component, so it is certainly possible that your daughter shares this diagnosis with you. I strongly encourage you to take your daughter for an evaluation by a mental health professional.

JWB