Parenting Bipolar Children - Transcript - Dealing with Bipolar Children

Written by HealthyPlace.com Staff Writer

David: Here are a few audience comments on what's been said:

frazzwell: Not the judge we had.

Susan0: We tried every psychiatrist within a hundred miles - either full-practice or, in the case of the dozen we saw, useless.

star445ca: Susan is right, our General Practitioner still does not believe our daughter's diagnosis. She is in RTC now.

David: Here's the link to the HealthyPlace.com Bipolar Community. You can click on this link, sign up for the mail list at the top of the page so you can keep up with events like this and take a look around.

We have lots of information in the bipolar community. I invite you to look through the sites on the left hand column and also the conference transcripts from previous conferences. We've had some excellent guests.

Mr. Lynn's website is here.

Josefina: We have a thirteen year old daughter, recently diagnosed as Bipoar, but she refuses to take bipolar medications. We are going crazy. Any suggestions?

George Lynn: Josefina, med resistance is like having a kid with an eating disorder. You go slow and wait for your opportunity. You point (slyly) to how it will improve her social life. You may position incentives or events that you will not let her do unless she is on meds. Give her a lot of leeway and information, dealing with the major biggies of weight gain and zits. And get her talking with a female psychiatrist who is not you, but who will devise strategy with you.

David: For some people wondering what it's like being on the other side, living with bipolar disorder, I invite you to visit Catching A Darkness: Glimpses of My Sister's Mania, Boris Dolin's site in the HealthyPlace.com Bipolar Community. It's a photographic essay that you'll never forget.

truckdog: Should we film our kids if they do not have any memory of their episodes? Will seeing the film hurt their self esteem?

George Lynn: Truckdog, video-taping your child should be done at his request or he will just block it out. Denial is big in Bipolar Disorder, but if you and he agree on how significant the problem is, taping may help.

David: Here are a few audience comments on the videotaping question:

Susi: We found video taping the rages was THE best tool for diagnoses.

Susan0: Videotaping our son was the only way we got him treated--we showed the doctor, but our son declined to watch--wisely.

ginger_5858: Filming them might help get them the right diagnosis though.

George Lynn: First, I've got to say thanks for the notion of using the videotaping for diagnosis. That had not occurred to me. Rage is dramatic! Thank you Susan.

David: One other thing I want to mention, and I don't know if you caught it George, but the Surgeon General came out with a report a couple of days ago,'Crisis' in Kids' Mental Health. It said 1 in 10 children in the U.S. have a mental illness, but only 1 in 5 get help because of money issues, the stigma attached to mental illness, and more.

George Lynn: Yes, one thing parents can do is de-stigmatize it by describing it more as a seizure disorder than as a mental defect. Parents need to let go of their illusion that the child is normal. It's cruel to say, but this illusion can stand in the way of remembering how bad it can get.

Public funding is a big priority. Hopefully our policymakers will understand this when they gab about violence prevention in kids.

SpaceCowgirl: I am a 36 year old Bipolar mom with a 13 yr old Bipolar son and an 8 yr old ADHD daughter. I have had the worst luck in finding doctors that will listen, including my current doctor who thinks the internet causes more harm than good. How can I find a doctor for both my children and myself?

George Lynn: SpaceCowgirl, you gotta network! Go to your local ChADD group or manic depression association (National Depressive and Manic-Depressive Association, NDMDA) and pick up names. Persistence is essential. Knowledgeable doctors are out there. Look for course that deal with the subject of parenting difficult kids or call your county medical society and ask for a specialist referral.

David: Here's a great question. Unfortunately, many parents face this situation:

Debyyntodd: How do you deal with outsiders or even family that say nothing is wrong with the kid except poor parenting?

George Lynn: "Nothing is wrong except poor parenting" is a comment you will hear a lot. Don't take it on. Mention your success with your other kids. If it comes from a family member who really cares, let that person care for your child for at least a couple of weeks, past the honeymoon stage.

Be assertive and know in your own heart that you're a good mom or dad, and put out your feelings with that kind of confidence.

Debyyntodd:They would never survive it, or never offer.