im empty drained and feel hopeless my child of six was diadnosed with bi polar today im overwhelmed help?

Question

i feel as though i have failed miserably,it seems like my llife has just become meaningless.will he ever be able to live a normal life?he is so filled with anger that turns to weeping im so confused i dont know what to do somebody please help .iam lost i dont know if there is anything i can do to help,will he be able to stay in a normal school?i feel like a failure i see my hopes and dreams turnig from hopeful to a life long dependancy can anyone point me in wich direction to go-how can i help-i can i stop jim from falling apart-and myself

Answer 1

if he was just diagnosed today, then that's great, and things will get easier from here. it will still be a long road, but he is certainly not doomed!!

i've had bipolar disorder for the past 9 years and it runs in my family pretty bad, so more than likely my children are doomed to have it. for awhile i was thinking of not having my own offspring, but then i realized that's insane!! my grandfather (who also has it) blames himself for me being sick, but what, does he wish he wouldn't have had my mom? i'm very glad to be alive! in fact, even though i do have symptoms quite often, i'm still having a great life and i'm really pretty happy.

i went to a private university and earned a bachelor of science in chemistry and am working as a chemist, and am trying to go to Africa with the peace corps, so i've been able to do ALOT with my condition!!

does your son have bipolar I or II? i have bipolar II, which is less severe, though bipolar I is more easily treated with medication, so it's kind of a toss up.

it may take awhile to find a medication that works well, it took me about 7 years to find something good!! but there's a world a hope!! some of the greatest people in history have had bipolar disorder!!

*but also, i agree with everybody about getting a second opinion. that is awfully young to diagnose someone with bpd.

Answer 2

Don't blame yourself, bi-polar is becoming more and more common in today's society, I'd even go as far to say that there are more people with chemical imbalances then NOT these days. My dad is bi-polar, my brother is bi-polar, my aunt is bi-polar, and my babies daddy is bi-polar. They all live normal lives. Some have chosen to take meds, some feel they don't need it. They DO have incedinces of getting depressed to a further extreme and a more rapid rate then the average person would. But this doesn't make them any less of a person. The only thing that will hold him back from living a normal decent life are the restrictions he places on himself! He has a bright future, don't be sad, continue to encourage and be proud of him.
Pray, maybe get him a blessing. Having structure and support in his life will help a lot and it sounds like you're a good mother for being so concerned abou thim.

Answer 3

Don't lose hope. He may be able to stay in a normal school. My parents thought I had bipolar as a teen (although I never was diagnosed) and I have a friend with bi-polar and she is fine (she is on meds).

Have you tried diet? I can't control my behaviour when I eat foods I am intolerant of (I've struggled with depression for many years, and only discovered this diet last year! It has changed my life). My kids are SOOOO much better on the diet, too.

Try it out. Seriously.

It's called the FAILSAFE diet. You can learn more about it at the link below, and join Yahoo! Groups (search for a FAILSAFE support group in your local area). Don't lose hope. There are lots of things that can be done to help, in the natural therapies and a few things mainstream as well.

Answer 4

Many psychiatric diagnoses today are very vague and overlap with each other. If you go to a different doctor, I'm sure he'll give you a different disorder or maybe none at all!!

Be confident in your child's abilities, and don't be so miserable. Your child will see your resignation, and he will start to feel hopeless about himself too.

When I was younger, I was repeatedly diagnosed with various attention deficit disorders (this was in the early 90s, before everyone had some disorder) and teachers urged my parents to put me on medication and so on. My parents were adamant that it was just very normal for me to be energetic and they stayed firm about this.

Today I am so grateful my parents stuck with me--the same energy my teachers hated is loved at work and has also been of great benefit to me at school. Of course I can be moody and 'weird', but my parents accept this as part of my personality.

So you have not failed, instead of drugging your child or sending him to therapists, I would just have him to do activities he likes and give him some unstructured time too. And it is unusual for a little child to have so much anger--try to find out the source.

Answer 5

He's only six, I would hardly give up hope, as for the shrinks I don't give them much credit as a whole since Freud. They're in business to make you feel bad, it's called job security. I think your child may have some issues but he may just need to be shown how to function properly. Is it a temper tantrum he is displaying or an actual personality disorder? There are some qualified psychologist that will help you and your son, if it were me I would call on Focus On the Family, and there is a DR, James Dobson, he has written quite a few books on child rearing that may help you. Call there office, they are located in Colorado Springs, CO . I'm sure they can help you. Hang in there, I'm pulling for you both.

Answer 6

You are going to have to chill about this. Being Bi-polar does not mean that you failed! Its a chemical imbalance in his body! He will probably have to take medication, but is that really that bad? Just be there for him, and when his mood swings, you just have to know and remember that he is bi-polar. Just let the doctors figure out his mix of chemical imbalance and everything should be fine.

Answer 7

I agree with Max. Get another opinion. I have only heard of one other child being dx'd with BiPolar at a young age(8), and it turned out not to be....
Please get another opinion from an M.D., and another psych doc.

Good Luck

Answer 8

Read in the bible... Some encouraging verses help me.
Try Deuteronomy 31 vs. 8
Also, try exercise.. alone or with your son..
Good luck and I know you can get thru it!

Answer 9

please don't panic. its difficult, if not impossible, to diagnose a 6 yr old with bipolar d/o. i would seek a second opinion about your son's condition. psychiatry is an inexact science.

Answer 10

I have been exactly there - what has helped me was medication and counceling... I recommend that...