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!

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Drug and Alcohol Rehab Program for Teens and Young Adults

There is a wonderful nationwide, faith-based addiction rehab program I have discovered called Teen Challenge. They serve young adults as well. If you know someone who is trapped in addiction please check out their website which I have posted under Great Resources to the right on my blog. As you may know, many teens and young people with depression and bipolar disorder end up self-medicating if they are not properly diagnosed and treated early.
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2 comments:

Unknown said...

I am so glad you have mentioned this program. My younger brother was an alcoholic & drug addict. Although he was saved in 2001 & the Lord took away his drug addiction, he still struggled with alcoholism. He was diagnosed as being Bipolar an adult, which I think he was even as a child. He was always a functioning alcoholic. Never missed work, always payed his bills & was very dependable. But in 2008 he started getting very sick. He found out that it was his liver. He had been drinking since he was 12 yrs old & was now 38 yrs old. My mother found out about this program called Teen Challenge ( but its not just for teens). We talked to him about it & he agreed to leave everything & go to the program in another state. He did wonderfull in the program & really strengthened his relationship with the Lord. He has been clean & sober ever since. By the way he no longer has to take meds for his Bipolar as the Lord healed that as well. :)

May 19, 2010 at 7:19 PM
Megan said...

Thank you for telling your story. I am so glad that Teen Challenge helped your brother so much. If he really doesn't have bipolar anymore that is a real miracle!

May 20, 2010 at 5:40 PM

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