disorder. A young person experiencing mania may: – Be overconfident and full of energy – Be very talkative – Find it difficult to stick to one subject in conversation – Be full of ideas – Have less need for sleep – Take risks they normally wouldn’t Although some of these symptoms may sound beneficial (e.g. increased energy and full of ideas), mania often creates difficult situations. For example, they could spend several nights in a row up late through the night writing or making something and neglect their self-care or studies. A young person experiencing mania can also have grandiose ideas and may lose touch with reality (psychotic episodes) (183). Because bipolar disorder impacts strongly on a person’s mood, it is often mentioned alongside depression. However, treatment approaches between depression and bipolar disorder may differ and a young person may be treated for psychosis instead. Mixed depression and anxiety Many young people with depression don’t experience signs that fit neatly into a particular type of depressive disorder. It is common for young people to experience some features of several of these disorders at the same time. Long periods of depression can bring about symptoms of anxiety and a high level of anxiety over a long period will often lead to depression.
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