I think I might have bipolar disorder?

I'm 14 years old but Ive been worried about it since I was 11. When I first realized that there could be something wrong, it was because I found that I would spend a week or so being hyper and not able to concentrate. Other weeks I would be SO depressed. When I was in my depressed moods, I used to think of killing myself almost nonstop.

When I was 12, I met a guy and knowing him really made things better for me. I still had my depressed moods and my hyper moods, but I rarely ever thought of suicide, and I was never THAT hyper.

But over the past few months Ive been returning to the way things used to be. A few weeks ago I was absolutely hyper for like a day or so. My thoughts raced like crazy, and I had way too much energy. But over the past week and 1/2, I've been feeling just as depressed as I used to.

I read that another symptom of bipolar is irregular sleep habits, and while sometimes I'm energetic with almost no sleep but other times, I sleep a full 8 hours and I'm still tired.

Yes, it does sound like it. I wonder though if your old enough to be diagnosed yet. It is very common for people with bi polar to have your symptoms. In your hyper times, do you spend a lot of money, or want to paint your room and change decor, or read like 20 books in a week? When your depressed does anyone else notice? Have your parents caught on to this pattern? There is a great book called An Unquiet Mind by Kay Redfield Jamison. See if you can find it or if your local library will get it for you. It was a national bestseller, so it should be easy to find. Tell your mom to read it after you do and tell her you think you might have this. Bipolar is gentic, so someone in your family probably had it. Don't be scared to tell your parents, I would want my daughter to tell me so that I could help her. Good luck!!

you could just be thinking about it too hard. if the thought of you having bi polar is on your mind, you will express the symptoms of it. it's just going on in your head, i'm sure.
its a possibility. I think you should see a doc. not a shrink but a doc to see whats up. dont worry, if u have it its no big deal, lots of people have it. Dont worry kay? good luck sweetie
been there, done that
I have a suggestion. Keep a mood diary for a while (at least several months) and track your mood (maybe rate mood intensity on a scale of 1-10), amount and quality of sleep, if u got exercise that day, if you have your period, if there are any major stressors happening (like a big test), if you ate balanced meals (or ate unusually large quantities of sugar, carbohydrates, caffeine), etc....It doesn't have to take a long time, just quickly jot down the info in a journal or notebook once a day.

You may or may not notice patterns in it over time. But, it would be enormously helpful to have that info if at some point you decide to see a counselor or doctor and they are trying to make a diagnosis.

Bipolar disorder is a really serious, chronic illness and it can have an early onset. This is more likely if you have a family history of it. And you are right...irregular sleep patterns are very common in people with bp.

There are other things that can mimic symptoms of BP...thyroid problems and hypoglycemia (which are generally not terribly serious), to name a couple...so it's worth it to visit your regular doctor and talk to them about what you are experiencing. That way they can check out whether or not there is a physical cause unrelated to BP and if so, they can correct it and the symptoms would go away.
It's also worth noting that puberty is a time when emotions are quite intense. What you are experiencing may not be all that out of the ordinary, however, the suicidal thinking concerns me.

I do hope that you don't have BP. But if you do, you really need to see a mental health professional because it is a serious illness that does not go away and if untreated can cause much chaos in your life. It can be treated and kept under control though.

You can minimize mood swings to some degree by having a healthy lifestyle...enough sleep, proper nutrition, regular exercise, avoiding mood altering substances, etc.
I have bipolar and had an extremely early onset (there were problems as far back as I can recall...first saw a therapist at age 6...am now 31). I am very well read on the subject.
I, like Jess, am bipolar and fairly knowledgeable about the illness. Some of what you describe could be signs of the disorder, or possible some other things. I mostly just wanted to reiterate a few points. Almost all people with bipolar have relatives with bipolar or major, recurring depression. It's basically inherited. Puberty is a rough time and your body is doing all kinds of chemical gynastics, so some of that can appear bipolarish. As mentioned, thyroid and blood sugar problems can also look like mood disorders. This is why the first check is always medical. A point that hasn't been made is that bipolar means medication for life, providing that you want a fairly balanced normal life. Whether your have this illness or not, a healthy diet, regular exercise, and managing stress are very healthy things to do. These very much are part of managing manic-depression. So, talk to your parents about what you are feeling and what you think might be happening. Ask about seeing your doctor for a check up. Also talk to your doc about what's up with you. There's a good chance that you don't have bipolar, but if so, it is a manageable illness and you can live a fairly normal life with it.