Support needed for burned-out parents of 8-yr old with Bipolar II?

Question

My husband and I have been dealing with our 8 yr old son who has Bipolar II (and possibly ADHD) and we are burned out. Where can we go for help/support. We have no family in this country and find it hard to get a break. I homeschool due to his condition because school would not work at all. How do we get a break or find folks in a similar situation? Any assistance would be appreciated ... we are desperate. Hopefully we will find meds that help soon. He has had symptoms since birth and it has been a very tough 8 years!
Please help!

I CAN'T find help anywhere - we have tried for 8 years. And the 'wanna-be shrinks' and those advocating beating mental illness out of him can please keep their opinions to themselves. He HAS Bipolar II - Ultra Rapid Cycling!!!

We are in the Houston area. I can't believe how many people are making stupid suggestions - of COURSE he has a Psychiatrist - of COURSE he has hobbies. Putting him in school will not solve his situation ... it will just expose him to bad behavior and ridicule. He doesn't have a problem with socialising - the homeschool group has 70 families and socialise together!

Answer 1

i deal with a 8 yr adhd boy everyday and he isnt on meds he only take them when he goes to school stop home schooling he need the interaction of other kids and the school can help more then you know they even help getting meds for school sec and for the summer get a pool for out side and alot of ice pops it helps for his over activeness at night about 8pm or 9pm make him hot choco it puts an adhd kid to sleep within mins beleave me it helps it give you time and he sleeps better mine is jumping all over the house all day i know what your going though but the pool helps keeps him mind busy thats the main thing you need to do with a biploar is keep there mind on things and the right and wrongs they will tend to forget that and dont let them think that its a problem or they will use it (im bipolar i couldnt help it or im adhd and i forgot ) dont let him use it or it will get worse

Answer 2

www.nami.org

this website has a lot of information that will help you...including ways to find support groups in your area. Most likely you are right about the ADHD...it in my experience comes with Bipolar Type 2.

Now how to get a break...behavioral theraphy...check with your local mental health clinic if they have anyone or know of anyone who does behavioral theraphy or even dialetical behavioral theraphy (DBT). As a last resort...I repeat LAST RESORT...admit him to a psych hospital for a couple week of observation and medication to figure out what meds work best.

You also need to give him a hobby...something that he perhaps alway loves...that he can do. If he loves books then get him some books on tape that he can listen to. If he's into horses, then find a ranch that offers lessons and take him there. If he loves to swim, swim lessons and life guard lessons may be the thing for him. If he like to draw or paint, get him some art supplies, and teach him. Boy Scouts could also help...and Big Brother programs. All this is to give him something to concentrate on...even if its only for a few minutes at a time....it will help him now and in the future.

Answer 3

I'm honestly shocked at how rude and inconsiderate some of these responses have been.

I wish I could help you but I've never experienced that. It sounds like you and your husband are doing a wonderful job with your child, and I hope you find the support you need and deserve. I would reccomend going to a therapist/counselor/psychologist with a family to discuss what you experience, and a good doctor to regulate his medication. Good luck.

Answer 4

I am looking now to see what I can find. Do you belong to any support groups? I know it must be exhausting and in these groups they often can network to get and find help. Contact your local hospital too sometimes you have to get pushy to get anything. My upstairs neighbor has three kids the 12 year old is bipolar and has ADHD ADD etc a real handful. Where you live would help me research (just the town,city,country thanks) ~A~
I will add you to my prayer list, in our thoughts hang in there! Remember you are not superhuman,its ok to need support, quite natural. I know you are a wonderful caring parent ,you just need some deserved time off.
http://health.dir.groups.yahoo.com/dir/Health___Wellness/Support/Diseases_and_Conditions/Mental_Health_Disorders/Mood_Disorders/Bipolar_Disorder_(Manic_Depression)
http://search.yahoo.com/search?fr=ush-ans&p=yahoo+groups+for+bipolar+

PS please ignore the rude comments anyone can answer here and do so sadly. Any other inapropriate advice is do to the fact they just can't to comprehend where you are coming from,no life experience to compare to. "but by the grace of God go I"
Hope you find what you need in these links let me know,
~A~

Answer 5

Support groups may be the answer or even meds but break it down in sm steps. esp. w/ADHD is there a designated 5-min (at first) time where the child engages in an attention-to-task activity. Over time extend the time frame. Also, is there ambiguity in expectations regarding other structured activity such as sleeping/eating/playing times?

Answer 6

FIrst of all, it appears that you have been trying to deal with such an enormous problem by yourselves, which is why you feel so overwhelmed and alone. There are resources out there for you and your son, so here goes. I did a search on
"support groups bipolar children" and here's some of what I turned up.
http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rls=GGLG,GGLG:2006-22,GGLG:en&q=support+groups+bipolar+children
Here are a few of the resources I found there.
Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance
http://www.dbsalliance.org/info/bipolar.html
Psych Central : Bipolar support groups http://psychcentral.com/resources/Bipolar/Support_Groups/
Child and Adolescent Bipolar Foundation
http://www.bpkids.org/site/PageServer
This group advertises itself as "A page for finding information to help parents deal with BiPolar Disorder in their Children and Teens"
http://hometown.aol.com/DrgnKpr1/BPCAT.html
Discussion and support group for parents of bi polar children
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/ParentsofBi-Polars/
Homeschooling appears to be taking its toll on your family. By law, public schools are responsible for educating ALL children, regardless of their disability. You should contact the head of the Special Education of your local school system to see what services they offer. If they offer any, the system is required to find something that would work for your child.
Good luck and God bless you!

Answer 7

Hi. I also suffer with bp. i wasn't diagnosed until i was 31. it took many years to find the right medications. your son is lucky to have been diagnosed so early. he will be able to grow with it and understand what he needs to do to reduce the stress before a cycle hits.

i know that there are support groups for people w/ bp or a loved one who suffers from bp. the biggest is NAMI. I believe that Kaiser also offers some support groups. If you call some psychiatric hospitals they will also be able to refer you to local support groups. i know that on-line there are numerous chat sites for bp suffers.

i have been w/ the same psychiatrist. in the beginning for many years i kept a detailed journal of my diet, my sleep pattern, my mood swings, and any event that was unusual in my daily living. i went to therapy weekly and was in an outpatient program learning behavioral skills. all of that is what has led me to finally live a productive life again.

since your son is so young he is not able to go about and gather information. but you can. and you should learn as much as you can about bp. and you also need to learn as much as you can about the psychiatric medications, what they do and how they work. but i know, that anti-depressants for bp patients can trigger cycles or rapid cycling if it is not taken w/ a mood stabilizer. and it might be a good idea to go to a therapist who deals primarily or only w/ bp. your son needs you to help him figure out his pattern. that's all bp is. a wave, or cycle, a pattern. it comes and it does go. that's what really helps me when i'm cycling. i always remember that this is just a wave and it will pass. if you'd like to e-mail me, i'm at [e-mail]. good luck

Answer 8

No way can a diagnosis of bi polar disorder be derived from the behaviour of an 8 year old.

Get a second opinion. This is nonsense.

Answer 9

There are advice and support groups... Speak to your doctor or check online... I think there is a national database of groups

Answer 10

Ask God... Try asking hospitals, churches, and schools... Look online... Help is out there... You just have to find it...!