I was asked if I had noticed any BP tendencies in my two sons (ages 3 and 1). I haven't, and I am feeling good about their chances of not having to deal with this crap at all. According to New Hope for Bipolar the chances of BP being passed from BP parent to child are actually much smaller than I thought.
First, and foremost, if you see any behavior that is out of the ordinary with your kids, get a professional evaluation. BP is tricky and the earlier it's found the better chance they have of dealing with it.
If one parent is BP there is a 7% chance the child will be BP and an 11% of suffering from depression. Adding up to an 18% chance of any kind of depressive disorder. It was of some comfort to me to find out that they have a good chance of not getting this to deal with. However, even if they do get it, they will have me as a resource on how to deal with the illness, I wish I had had something like that.
Dear Friend,
Thank you for taking a moment to share about your kids and when you "owned" having BP. We have read some of the same material and I am VERY glad to hear your kiddies are doing well! *sighs*, what a relief!
Did you ever have the opportunity to have group therapy or an inpatient stay somewhere? My wife has been doing outpatient and has now decided to stop. She feels that it did nothing for her. Though she does want to concentrate more on her 1on1 sessions.
Gosh, bewtween the cycles its been a rollercoaster. Our cabinets have now be reorganized(bonus) and the house is cleaner than ever(bonus bonus). Heck even the Christmas cards are done.. mania has its plus side I guess. Though in a matter of time things will change direction- still have not nailed down the RX Coctail that works-
Stuggling to understand, JD
P.S. If this dialogue bothers you, please let me know and I will stop.
Posted by: Jason Dean | November 19, 2004 at 11:15 AM
Dear John and Jason,
I really appreciate the dialogue going on between the two of you. John, your family must be really proud of all of your progress. You seem very determined to live a good life; you deserve it. Jason, if you continue to be patient and support your wife I feel confident she can gain stability. It took my husband years but now that he is stable, life is beautiful again. Just remember to do things for yourself, too. You can be of no support to your wife if you are not strong on your own (and for the little one too).
Posted by: Kate | November 19, 2004 at 02:48 PM
Dear John,
Havn't seen a post from you in a while. Are you okay? I hope you have a great Thanksgiving - stay away from those simple sugars! : )
Posted by: Kate | November 24, 2004 at 10:30 PM
Just to let you know you are in my thoughts.
Posted by: Judy | November 27, 2004 at 01:03 PM