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!

Sunday, January 31, 2010

Tools for Calming

Our bipolar kids often struggle to feel calm. Their brains are extremely overactive in the area of emotions and there are times when they need a quiet calm place to which they can retreat. Also, quiet thinking can be helped by certain aromas and tactile therapy, as well as soothing music. I have put a link to some calming tools offered through Flaghouse for sensory issues below under resources. Take a look! They have everything from aromatherapy, to rainsticks, to weighted wear.
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2 comments:

Bev said...

My grandson has anger management issues and he found that just by pushing his fingers into a jar full of seedbeads calmed him down immensely. So, for his birthday, he got his own jar of beads to play with when he needed to just chill :) It's amazing how little things can mean so much.

January 31, 2010 at 8:59 PM
Accidental Expert said...

Thanks. we're going to need all the help we can get.

February 2, 2010 at 11:48 PM

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