About our Daughter

I am mother to four wonderful daughters, ages 17, 19, 21, and 23, and wife to the greatest husband on earth. God has given us a special child to raise one who was diagnosed with early-onset bipolar disorder at the age of seven, though she showed signs of it from the age of fifteen months. She also has ADHD, Sensory Integration Disorder (sensory seeking), Dyslexia, and Non-Verbal Learning Disorder-NOS, all typical comorbidities for a bipolar child. In spite of the trials, she enjoys lacrosse, running (finished her first marathon in October of 2014!), and reading and writing her own books. I will share with you the many joys and sorrows we have faced and will face in the future with the hope that you may find better understanding about this mental illness caused by both chemical and structural abnormalities in the brain. I desire that you will be encouraged by this blog if you are also dealing with a bipolar child. Thank you for reading and sharing in our journey.

How Did You Know She Was Bipolar So Young?

I wrote a long explanation of how we came to this bipolar diagnosis in a child so young under my post of March 19th of 2009. If your child or a child you know bears similarities, please seek out a good psychiatrist and don't wait for "things to get better." Often they will simply get worse, and the longer a child is unmedicated, the more damage their brain can accrue. Early diagnoses and treatment are key to providing these children with a chance at a successful life later as a teen and an adult.
Never change, start or stop a medication without the approval of your child's physician!

Thursday, November 29, 2012

Discouraged and Lonely

Caroline is encountering the problem she always has: lack of friendships.  She struggles to make and keep friends and always has.  This new school experience is no exception.  She says she cries herself to sleep each night because she is so lonely.  As a parent, this is just heartbreaking to hear.  Not sure what to do, but we will be looking at various options.  The church youth group isn't turning out to be what she had hoped.  And her younger sister seems to be thriving in the same youth group and at the same school.   We still might look at smaller schools.  So hard to know what is best!  She really wants to "fit in" but just doesn't have the social skills to do so and doesn't want to really.  She wants friends who are like her, not like the popular kids.  And the academic side is definitely a big struggle.  I am as discouraged as she is right now.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi Megan,

First off, big hugs for both of you. My dd also has BIG problems with social stuff. She says she feels invisible. Our attempts at church groups failed miserably as those kids seemed to be the meanest of all and the parents of the kids seem to think they need a medal because their kids tolerate my dd. It's very painful for me, and I would imagine many times more painful for my dd.

I've "heard" that things get better after high school. High school is just TOUGH. I am hoping that at some point things do improve, especially as my dd is an only child, has no cousins, or any "built in" supports at all. :(

Loco YaYa said...

I absolutely love your blog. it has become a place of information for me. to know that i am absolutely not alone in all of this. sometimes it is nice to see other moms/families going through it as well. glad y'all had a stable Thanksgiving...not so much on our end. we were switching antianxiety meds. eh. maybe next year.

Anonymous said...

Thank you for your blog as it helps others with BP children to find information, community, comfort. I am so sorry that your daughter is going thru this. My dd makes lots of friends but unfortunately, they are all the 'wrong' kids and it is getting her in serious trouble. Hang in there and hugs to you and your daughter.

Megan said...

Thank you all for your encouragement. I am sorry for each of you when things are rough, I know how it is when your child is excluded and lonely or led astray. So painful!! I hate high school. I had a horrible time in high school myself. College was like heaven. I think Caroline will be like that too. If we can just get her there!!