Any Mom with a Young Child That May Be Suffering with Bipolar?

I have a daughter that is bipolar and she is now 20 years old and just had a baby, so now we are going through the post-partum and being bipolar and I have my hands full.

Will she talk about how she is feeling? My daughter went to the doctor and they put her on some medication that really made a difference.

Right now they are trying to get it regulated after the birth of my beautiful granddaugher.

I suggest if she will open up take her to a doctor. She may want to talk to him/her alone, dont get upset. I am not big on taking medicine but, it really made a difference.

I will be thinking of you, I know how hard that is. Hope this helps!

P.,

I would suggest that you get two oppinions or seperate evaluations before accepting a diagnosis of bipolar in a child of this age. Years ago almost all children were being diagnosed with being ADHD. Today, bipolar is the diagnosis of choice. It is a very severe diagnosis that will follow her through school. It is very treatable also, but do get a second oppinion before involving the school with the diagnosis.
I work as a family advocate and I see this all the time.
If you have any questions please feel free to ask.

I have a schizophrenic brother and have had mentally ill friends with the bipolar disorder and ADHD. Drug addiction often accompanies mental illness, so you will need to be on the alert for this as your daughter gets older. It is very stressful dealing with a mentally ill loved one, so family counseling would be a good idea. Medication and proper nutrition and exercise can help them function to a higher degree, and of course there are different levels of severity. Read everything you can on the illness and be prepared to be patient with many ups and downs. God bless!

P.:

I understand what you are going through. My biological son was diagnosed at age 9 and he's now 18. Back when he was diagnosed there wasn't much known about juvenile bipolar disorder and we went through a lot of doctors. I would strongly suggest that you have your child assessed by a child psychiatrist. Obviously, a psychiatrist has the additional training in mental health and a child psychiatrist has experience working with children with mental health issues. Other doctors just wouldn't be as experienced in this area. Your child is pretty young to be diagnosed with bipolar and a lot of doctors wouldn't diagnose your child just because of her age (been through that too!). Do some research on child psychiatrists in your area. A children's hospital would be a good place to check. If you feel your current doctor isn't taking her symptoms seriously or feels a child her age couldn't have bipolar, then get a second opinion until you feel your child's needs are being addressed. You know your child best! I have included some links that I feel would be helpful.

http://www.healthcentral.com/bipolar/

http://www.bpchildren.org/

http://www.jbrf.org/

http://www.bipolarchild.com/

C.

try giving her snacks that have protein in them-- beef jerky, bean dip, hummus, cheese, etc. make sure she eats something every 2-3 hours. it's a simple thing to try, and can make a huge difference.

I have two children on meds for bipolar, although the psychiatrist will not give me the diagnosis.
I recommend "The Bipola Child" by Dimitri and Janice Papolos

They have a real handle on these kids.

If you can get a diagnosis, you can help to get them accomodations in school that will be to your advantage.

My psychiatrist implies that if the child is not having problems except at home, it must be the parents' fault. Not true, but there isn't another child psychiatrist near us and this one prescribes the medication.

good luck
L.

My daughter was almost the same way. She always did well at school, but at home we never knew what might set her off. When she came off the bus she would be so unreasonable. We also took her to a counselor. She dismissed the bipolar idea right away because she could control her emotions for the 7 hours at school. She stated the bipolar people can't control their mood swings. We also noticed that she seemed to act up more if it was between/before meals, but as soon as she ate she was a completely different child. Her teacher worked with up and let up keep extra snacks at school and tried to encourage her to eat before the bus. She refused this, but we just would try get her to eat first thing off the bus then deal with anything of importace afterward. If we went somewhere I always had a snack. Also, It really started to change when we finally got strict with punishments. I remember the main incident. She threw one of her fits so we sent her to her room for the day (Sat.). She threatened to climb out the window, so dad ran to Lowe's and bought a window lock and we sat outside her room with door locked from outside (wouldn't leave because I know this is a fire hazard and wanted to be close by!) Finally she calmed down (hours later) and we did leave the door unlocked then. But after she knew we were serious she seemed to understand we were not going to let her get a way with her behavior, it helped. Sometime we still had to take away play dates or have her go to her room, but no more fights! The counseling did help. Best of luck!

That must be difficult to take in. I do know there are meds she can take if you are willing to put her on them. They balance it all out.

good luck

I would urge you to get a second opinion. There is nothing rapid about mood swings in bi-polar disorder. It is very gradual (weeks to months for a swing in one direction to the other). I would hate to see you go through the medicine shuffle (try one, doesn't work, try another, etc. All while your child is suffering).
Seek help from the school system. State law requires free testing at the parent's request.

Hi P.,

I have two children with developmental issues,they are on the autistic spectrum, but they have both had mood swings as one of the symptoms they face. We found that they both did will with medications to stabilize their mood and it has made a world of difference to them. They have many other issues to, but this one they cannot control or tell you why they suddenly feel the way that they do. We too see that our daughters are able to control out bursts until they get home, but it is hard work for them all day to put off their feelings, they still felt bad a school, and did not do as well as they could with school work because they were trying so hard to keep from having a melt down at school. One of our kids would melt down as soon as she walked through the doors at the end of the day. Medication worked wonders for them, and made them feel like they had control of themselves again, and they could predict how life would be.

M.

As a school social worker, I would see child's mental health specialist and get a second opinion. Bi Polar sees to be the diagnosis of choice (much like ADHD was several years ago) and it is actually a very RARE diagnois for a child this young. Most doctors won't even diagnois it this young. I would recomend visiting with a child nutritionist and working out a food plan that is high in protin and offers more meal choices throughout the day. Teachers are usually willing to work with you on this. It may be her metobolisim or imbalances in her system causing this behavior. If she was truly bipolar, she would NOT be able to control her moods/behavior for the 7 hours at school each day. It just woudln't happen...she would have slip ups, especi8ally with changes in scheduling, etc. I would try some new things and visit with some others.

She sounds like a normal daughter to me. Kids all have mood swings and the more you let them, the more they will be difficult. I would do this first before starting any medications:
She may just be tired when you think she is depressed. Keep the TV off. Make sure she is getting out and getting exercise- this is the best cure for depression.
I would try some stiffer discipline, like sending her to her room for the rest of the day, no video, no TV, etc, dinner in her room, only let out for bathroom. Do this whenever she is grumpy, complaining, difficult or does not mind you.

I have 3 kids, I have worked as a teacher's aide in the past. It is tough being a parent and I can tell you are very loving and concerned, but sometimes we try too hard to make our kids happy.

Bipolar runs in my family pretty strong, I've got it and so do my dad & several siblings. My son who's 6 1/2 is showing signs of having it also. I take st. john's wort for mine & I give him one pill a week. I can tell a huge difference in him if I don't give it to him. He still has the mood swings but not as bad as if he doesn't get it.

diagnosis of bipolar before the age of 18 is still rare.