Children and Bipolar Disorder Question

I just received an excellent question from Mike:

Julie, I love these blogs but I have an 8yr old girl with bipolar disorder and everything is about adults. Her anger just gets worse and worse and I don’t know how to teach her the stuff i read from you. the hcp has her on depakote and risperidal, please tell my wife and I how we can help her. I feel so bad that she has to feel this way.

 **

I will answer this question either tonight of tomorrow. I thought I had time right now, but I am off to a meeting to interview a potential speaker for the Latino Mental Health event that my friend Gayathri Ramprasad is doing here in Portland, Oregon.

The childhood bipolar questions are so important and I want to give this a lot of thought before I answer.

 UPDATE: I have not forgotten this question- I have just been in [ Read More ]





Children: From Bipolar to Pervasive Develpmental Disorder

I have a friend who has done everything possible to help his son find a diagnosis. The recent diagnosis was bipolar disorder. His son lived in a treatment facility for a year, went to a special camp in the country, learned more effective communication techniques and truly tried hard to fit in with his family. I have been amazed at how hard my friend and his partner have worked to find out what is happening to their child. The bipolar disorder diagnosis was a catch all- as it often is. It’s not that the diagnosis was wrong, it’s just that it was so vague.

Finally, some answers: My friend just wrote and said that his son has a new diagnosis that makes more sense. It’s called Pervasive Developmental Disorder. Here is what I just read in Wikipedia: **

The diagnostic category pervasive developmental disorders (PDD), as opposed to specific developmental disorders (SDD), refers to a [ Read More ]





WEB MD article on childhood onset bipolar disorder pt one

The following is a copy of an excellent WEB MD article on bipolar disorder diagnosis in children.When people ask me about childhood onset bipolar disorder, I always have the same answer: I believe that what we call bipolar disorder in children is VERY different than what we consider bipolar disorder in adults.

One of the main differences is the level of anger, irritation, tolerance levels and duration of screaming, crying, and out of control mood swings. Another very imporant distinction is the ADHD behavior of these kids. They have more of the hyperactivity part of the ADHD than adults who are usually diagnosed with ADD.My heart goes out to these kids as I know they have a lot of troubling symptoms, but like many people in this industry- I question these bipolar disorder diagnoses.

This is a looonnnggg article- which is why I’ve put it in two posts, but the information is extremely helpful. It’s [ Read More ]





Bipolar is not my fault!

Bipolar Disorder is not your fault Julie!  I say this to myself a lot when I get sick.

It took me a long time to accept my diagnosis. I was diagnosed in 1995. How is it possible I’ve dealt with severe bipolar disorder since 1995!

I used to wake up and think- I have a mental illness. This isn’t happening to me!

I have nothing to do with having the illness-  mood disorders are in my genes on both sides of my family.

I am only 100% responsible for managing the illness. It took these 13 years to get good at it! Now I put all of that experience in my books- it doesn’t have to take you 13 years to get better, that is for sure.

Julie





A Bipolar Story About Cabbage

I just received a great email from a reader who has been on the bipolarhappens.com mailing list for years.

I once wrote a newsletter for family members that started out with a conversation my mother and I had about cabbage. I told the story to show how family members have to be educated as to why those of us with bipolar disorder can be so WEIRD! Here is his letter- the cabbage story follows.

Hi Julie:

This really isn’t a question but rather a comment regarding a piece you wrote about fixing dinner with your mother one night.  You were making a salad and your mom suggested adding cabbage.  As I recall you said it was just too difficult to get it out of the refrigerator and cut it, etc.  Your mother said something like “what’s so hard about that?” and you said, I think, “I have bi polar.”  Enough said!!

Ever since then every [ Read More ]