Messages By: missmouse

I am so sorry that your son's doctor is so ignorant about Bipolar.  My son's peditrician was as first too.   

The web site that I have found to be very useful is www.bpkids.org, it not only gives you information about getting a diagnosis for kids, but also lists doctors who treat children with bipolar disorder.   

Also the book "The Highs & Lows of Raising a BiPolar Child" is a great resource.  

Good luck, and feel free to e-mail me with any questions or just to vent :0 

SCUROMOM@dc.rr.com 

and your poor daughter... 

it's hard enough to have the co-curring disorders, but to not be able to communicate would just rip me apart for my son.   

I too, first thought my son was just ADHD, but then he started turning violent, not just hyper and impulsive, but actually violent (at 4! it was heartbreaking) and he would have these awful rages that came from nowhere, so I took him back to the psychiatrist he sees and did some more evaluations, read some books and tried some meds, which seemed to work. 

He does have to have his  meds adjusted every so often as he grows, but for the most part he is not "manic" like he was before and the rages are decreasing.   

There is a new therapy for ADHD created by NASA called "Play Attention" and most insurances cover it, the goal it to get the child off the meds for ADHD. You may want to look into it.  My son after 3 lessons is doing well, it takes about 60 hours of "training", the way his educational psychologist explained it to me is that it is "like rehabilitation for the brain" and it "retrains" the area of the brain that controls impluses.  I'm praying that by this time next year he'll only be on the meds for bipolar.   

The website I belive is www.playattention.com, and here is one for bipolar kids www.bpkids.org 

both are great sources of information. I wish you and your daughter good luck. Fee free to e-mail me.  SCUROMOM@dc.rr.com 

Victoria 

I can empathize with you so much and feel so bad for Joey!  My son has been sent home early once for bad behavior and 3 times for sobbing uncontrollably.  I think Dr. Phil should do a show on BiPolar children as well, and like you, have written to the show twice about it.   

Here are some website that might be helpful to you (well to Joey)  www.playattention.com and www.bpkids.org   

I don't know if you have any books on Bipolar, but the one website has a resource center link for books about bipolar kids, I think i have most of them!  There is also a great book written just for kids who are bipolar called "Brandon & the BiPolar Bear"  it is wonderful and written for younger kids to better understand what is going on in their minds.  Also the book by Jaime Lee Curtis called "Today I feel Silly" is good, while not written specifically for BP it is about emotions.   

Please feel free to e-mail me anytime.  SCUROMOM@dc.rr.com 

Take care, 

Victoria 

I would happy to become "email" pals with you, seems we have a lot in common... 

I'll put your e-mail address in my book and contact you later. 

Victoria 

And it's one of the rare times I am very disappointed in Dr. Phil!  I'm no doctor, but I have to question if Cathy is truly bipolar or if she has some mood disorder or mental illness. She clearly has something wrong with her.  Her poor sons!   

Having grown up with a BP brother who ended his life at 28, and a mentally ill mother, and now I have a BP son, I have not witnessed behavior like Cathy has in any of my family.  My son has rages and has been violent as was my brother, but nothing like Cathy.   

She should have never quit her meds cold turkey and if they "weren't helping" then why didn't she see a TRAINED professional who could run tests (EEG, PET SCAN, etc) and try and get her on meds that WOULD help her?  No, it's no fun having to takes meds daily, my poor little boy takes 5 different meds twice a day, but it works (along with therapy and neurofeedback)  He was taken of his meds for a weeks and it was HELL. He was full of rages, threatened to kill himself (he was only 5 then) and I wouldn't want that for anyone. 
Cathy's sons deserve better, and Cathy deserves better.  I truly  hope she gets help for whatever it is that she has. 

I wish Dr. Phil had someone on the show, besides Dr. Lawliss, who specialized in BP and could explain in laymen's terms what BP is, what the options for treatments are and maybe have a link or phone # where people who think they may have BP or family members could contact.   

I feel that the show didn't fully address anything about Bipolar as a disorder, it showed an angry mom who had verbally and physically abused her kids.  I was so disgusted after that I erased the DVR and didn't watch the rest of the show..... 

Sorry Dr. Phil, but this time you dropped the ball 

Victoria 

I am trying to get motivated to get an IEP done for my son, but haven't!  I know I can't homeschool him, one of us would truly go insane!  My son also is very bright, his comprehension is two years above his age and his verbal skills almost 3.   

Are you able to get SS benefits for your son?  Or any help from Social Services?   

I would keep trying for the IEP, you may already have this but I have a book called "The Complete IEP Guide" and it helps with the legal issues and resolving disputes.   

Good luck to you both.  I hope you are able to get the help your son deserves!   

Take care, 

Victoria  

feel free to e-mail me anytime..  scuromom@dc.rr.com 

I am a SAHM of 3 boys, ages 4 up to 16, two of them are special needs kids. Having a "spotless" house is not a big priority for me (or my husband).  I pick one room a day to clean, one day for bills and one day for shopping, between that and "not working" at driving my boys to and from school, taking one to speech and the other to doctors and therapists once or twice a week, and then there are sports, I'm exhausted and if my husband EVER called me Lazy or said I did things "half assed", I'd kick his ass!   

My house has clutter, but I have KIDS and kids make messes!  I'd rather spend quality time with them, playing a game, reading a book or whatever than spending that time making sure all the toys were put away.   

While I think that Diana is using her pregnancy as an excuse, the husband is OVER THE TOP with his expectations and thinking that buying her expensive things will get her to change, instead of Louis Vittuon Bag maybe he can hire a housekeeper for his wife, then the house will be clean!  Or he can stay home and spend a day in her shoes and she can have a day to herself. 

She does have a babysitter to help, so she can do more around the house, pregnant or not, but he needs to lighten up and not be such a dictator stop verbally abusing her!  If his biggest problem is that his wife isn't cleaning "properly" than he should come to my house and see what parents with real problems have  to deal with on a daily basis. 

Working mom, at home mom, both are hard jobs and we can only do our best and make sure our kids are happy and healthy, not that our house is perfect or the shirts hung on the hanger the "correct" way.    

Just my opinion