If your DS would consider requesting a medical leave to deal with his mental health that might be the best approach as getting into a doctor for a full physical and a mental health evaluation will take time. Getting a therapist online or in person also may take time.

If he is not willing to do so I would see if he could do a reduce course load to reduce some academic pressure. I would see what the options are where his college is to get an evaluation etc. but doing so at home might be better. Make sure he knows where to go on campus if he starts to have mental health issues.
Look at the semester calendar with him so
You both know (1)Last day to drop a class and
(2)Last day to request an incomplete. Tell him
You are there and his health is most important. Keep in regular contact and you
want to help him as you can to avoid a crisis situation. It is tough and insurance helped us
25 years ago with our oldest. Diagnosis may not be exact. Medication takes time to find right one or mix and may change over time.
Therapy is often needed out at college to keep balance. Deal with now and do not look too far ahead. It is tough on the student,siblings and parents. One can go on to manage one’s mental health and complete one’s education. Have a career, marry and be a good parent,

WTF!
How are Randi’s in the Internet going to diagnosis your son?
Let him go see a doctor.

If you’re in northern Virginia there are NAMI groups for parents of adult children with serious mental illness. Many of the children also live out of state. It’s helpful to hear what’s going on.

Definitely get tuition insurance for the next couple of years, since your chance of using it are rising.

I got my adult child a medical work up, but good luck finding a doctor willing to test for all the exotic causes. A concierge doctor may do it. The vast majority of mentally ill people are not suffering from unicorn infections and illnesses.

Names of roommates and landlords is a great idea. Keep in touch with them monthly. Many of them won’t understand that it’s a mental illness. But complaints about noise, neglect, property damage are big red flags of problems. I wouldn’t use the words mental illness (for your sons sake and trust), but do suggest you will intervene and pay for possible issues.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:First, book an appointment with the doctor. There is increasing evidence that bipolar disease is a physical disease caused by an autoimmune response, possibly to the Epstein-Barr Virus, Lupus or some other autoimmune diseases.

See here: https://health.ucdavis.edu/news/headlines/autoimmune-disease-or-psychotic-disorder/2025/04
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/cti2.1116v
https://www.managedhealthcareexecutive.com/view/autoimmune-diseases-almost-double-mental-health-disorder-risk

Take your son in for a comprehensive checkup, noting your concerns about autoimmune diseases and/or inflammation. Do you have autoimmune diseases in your family? Do you see other signs of autoimmune disease? Does he have vivid dreams or nightmares?

Those do not say that bipolar disorder is caused by autoimmune diseases. The links say that many people with autoimmune diseases experience neuropsychiatric symptoms, and for some even symptoms of psychosis. The last one also says that people with autoimmune disease have increased risk of a psychiatric comorbidity.

+1 This. Op. Is your child being seen by an actual psychiatrist or a therapist? You need an actual diagnosis by a qualfied professional, not diagnosis by Internet randos. It's hard to schedule appointments, particularly in August, so get moving asap on this if you haven't already.

This.
Wishing you the best.
We are here if you need to vent or need us to listen

Thank you.

Anonymous wrote:Our niece experienced several years of marijuana-induced psychosis as a teen. She’s fully recovered now (thank God). Here’s a link to more info about this: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2811144/. I hope your son recovers soon, OP. Thinking of you!

Yes, this. I was going to suggest looking into cannabis-induced psychosis. Look at Johnny’s Ambassadors online.

My college-age child has a diagnosis of cyclothymic disorder, which is a milder form of bipolar disorder. Several years of medication, working with a psychiatrist and therapist, and good decisionmaking around environmental triggers (like avoiding alcohol and getting enough sleep) have been very effective in helping them to stay in school and feel successful. But nothing is perfect and there are still times when it comes to the surface. But at least there are systems in place so that nothing slips through the cracks. All of which is to say that the best thing you can do for your child is help them find those systems, support them where you can, and at the same time brace yourself for the fact that there will still be hard times for all of you.

Our niece experienced several years of marijuana-induced psychosis as a teen. She’s fully recovered now (thank God). Here’s a link to more info about this: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2811144/. I hope your son recovers soon, OP. Thinking of you!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This does not sound like bipolar at all but it does sound like he has been seriously depressed and needs to see a psychiatrist asap. (Mania is really very conspicuous-it has things like a major departure in speech, vastly different sleep, wildly increased energy, majorly different behavior, not simply an internal feeling of being in a good mood.)

Thanks. Are you a mental health professional?

OP is studiously avoiding the question of whether her son is being seen by a psychiatrist.

Maybe read the OP more closely.

I did. A therapist that her kid is seeing is not the same as a psychiatrist.