Learning that your
child has bipolar disorder can be a traumatic experience. Diagnosis usually
follows months or
years of instability in your child's moods, difficulties in
school, and a lot of frustration on both of your parts.
However, diagnosis
can be a turning point for everyone involved. Once the illness is identified,
your energy
can be directed towards treatment, education, and the development
coping strategies
The following are a bunch of resources you might find interesting and useful to your journey.
Finding a Good Doctor
Ideally, you want to find a child psychiatrist who is familiar with
bipolar disorder in children. This can be an extremely
difficult
thing to do. The
Child
and Adolescent Bipolar Disorder has an excellent data base of
doctors who specialize
in bipolar disorder in children.
Early Intervention
If your child is diagnosed with bipolar disorder as a preschooler, he
should be eligible for early intervention services.
This
excerpt describes the process of getting evaluated and getting
services. Children and adolescents
with bipolar
disorders need, and are entitled to, flexible
accommodations at school (including Individual Educational Plans) to
meet
their unique educational needs and build on their strengths.
Example IEP goal from The Bipolar Child:
Goal:Ethan will learn and apply strategies to independently divert bad thoughts.
Objectives:
A) Ethan will go to the school counselor
twice a week
B) Ethan will explore negative thoughts
with counselor and develop strategies for diverting them independently
C) Ethan will tell an appropriate adult
when he has negative feelings he cannot manage
D) Elan will use a variety of strategies
learned and document results in a journal at least two times weekly.
Suicide
This is an excerpt from the book,
The Bipolar Child. It was written by a creative nine year old
child who, one evening,
started writing a book about her experience with
bipolar disorder. This came from chapter six of that book.
Maybe sometimes your child will say that they will kill themselves.
This is something to take seriously. I have
poked myself a few
times because I get angry or stressed. Sometimes, I just don't
care about my life anymore.
I am also really scared.
If your child
gets these thoughts, ask the doctor for Zyprexa, or something like that.
If this situation ever happens,
hold them still until they calm down and
stop wanting to kill themselves. Hold them until they feel a part
of this world.
Youth Suicide Prevention
Program: Here's a good link detailing signs of possible suicide in
youth and what you can do
about it.
Check back for more information
Love is the life saving grace we share.
Expressing my love in words and actions has saved my son from having an
early and possible tragic outcome.
~Parent of a child with BD
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