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!

Friday, March 8, 2013

Milepost 17

She turned 17 yesterday.  I consider every year that she is here with us a miracle.  Or even every year without a hospitalization.  We have been dealing with this diagnosis for ten years.  So many teens her age with early onset bipolar disorder are not half as stable as she is.  We are thankful to God for her, for great doctors and psychologists, for medicines that weren't around 20 years ago, for our caring family and friends.   I know she is too!
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1 comment:

Katie said...

Happy 17th Caroline! A huge milepost for her and you! Love what her coach did for her - I know that was a big much-needed boost for her!

March 11, 2013 at 4:35 PM

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