children with mental illness

Pamela - posted on 01/22/2010

Yes, my daughter is diagnosed with bipolar and my spouse could not take it and left when she was little. She is now 24 and living with him. How ironic.

Susan - posted on 01/21/2010

It's terrible that you had to suffer this way for something that's not in your control. I'm a child psych nurse and author of The Trouble With Tom, a memoire about raising a troubled child. I know it's easy for me to say, but if your S.O. doesn't understand & can't be supportive, then they're not the right person for you or your child...whom needs someone with patience and kindness. Unfortunately, in the behavioral health field you can't just run a test and find out what works best for treatment. It's all trial & error to find the best combination of meds & behavioral therapy. Sorry you have to go it alone. I wish you the best & for someone you can really depend on emotionally to come into your life.

Carol Ann - posted on 01/20/2010

Donna, I do not have experience with mentally ill children but I would like to offer some encouragement as to how outsiders may view your child (or the outbursts). Yesterday I was in a fast food restaurant and saw an older child (maybe 7 or 8) having a melt down because she did not want to leave the play area. I do not know what her situation is, but my first thought was that the child likely has some mental/developmental issues. I did not assume anything about the adult (grandparent?) with her because the adult remained very calm. It was clear to me that the behavior was not typical for a child her age, that there must be something deeper going on. Because moms are more enlightened these days, it makes it easier to understand that these outbursts are not just bad parenting. So, if these kids are a little more difficult to be around, that does not mean they don't deserve the support of their family as well as outsiders. Hope this helps.

Mary - posted on 01/20/2010

we didn't give up we decided we would work together to weather the difficulties. it worked we are still together and she is on her own now yes she has difficulties and we are learning not to bail her out every time

Donna - posted on 01/19/2010

I have a stepdaughter that was first diagnosed as bipolar at age 11. Her father was in total denial and her mother also suffers mental illness and would not accept the diagnoses. This put me in a very difficult position. They refused to allow her to receive medication until the age 13 when she had became so violent and irrational there was no denying her mental illness. She is now 34 and does okay on medication. She has had her share of problems due to her illness including her parents turning their backs on her.

Lea - posted on 01/18/2010

I will check for you. The book I mentioned just came in today. I will let you know if it has anything helpful...The issue here has been PTSD (husband) and ADHD with reactions to the meds (one of my kids) I will be back in touch. If you don't hear from me for a day or so could you reply to me please? I am new to this and am not sure how to navigate to someones site yet otherwise. Sorry

Donna - posted on 01/18/2010

thank you but have never heard of the organization, is that one that only applies to the states, or is that one in canada, i'm in ontario

Lea - posted on 01/16/2010

I have not have that particular circumstance but wonder if you have heard of an organization called NAMI that has support for families with a member who has mental illness. You can find them online. There is also a book I recently ordered called Grace for the Afflicted. Haven't recieved it yet but heard the author interview.

Diane - posted on 01/16/2010

My 9 year old son has bipolar disorder and OCD. When he was seven, he began acting out severely, tearing up classrooms and being violent. We had to send him to three psychiatric hospitals and he had a two month stay in a residential treatment center in Austin (we live in the Dallas area). I was able to get him into a behavior unit at school, and that has helped tremendously-they deal with the behavior and are able to teach social skills along with instruction-so I am able to work without the interruptions that I faced the previous year. It was horrible to try to take him anywhere-my family didn't understand, people would stare in the store, ect. Luckily, my husband was supportive-we were each others lifelines because no one else understood. It must be extremely difficult for you to face this totally alone. My advice-keep searching for sound medical (psychiatric) advice, help, therapy, and medication. We must have gone to 20 different doctors and then God led me to his current "doctor"-she is a nurse practitioner-she is better than any of the psychiatrists that he ever went to. He is now stable and we are able to have a life again. It is still there, but it is manageable. Please know I am praying for you-there is nothing worse than seeing your child go through this and people look at you as though you are not parenting him correctly.