I think my child has a bipolar disorder
by Christy Baron
(Canada)
My daughter Wendy is 13. She has been diagnosed with oppositional defiance behavior, add and anxiety. Over the last 2 months she is getting worse. She was in a therapeutic home since Jan. and came home in August. She is having eating binges, sleep disturbances, sleeping with all the lights on and horrible rages mostly surrounding going to school. She is refusing to go to school again. She often has stomach aches etc for reasons not to go to school. She was placed in a home due to not going to school and her anxiety around this. She was doing well in the home but since she has come home things are rapidly going downhill. She is seeing a psychiatrist on Feb 3 and I am counting the minutes. The changes are eating, sleeping and the constant rages every day. Also, she will have sudden episodes of craziness like jumping on the bed and getting really silly like 3 year old and making noises. I feel with the onset of these additional symptoms, bipolar disorder needs to be a consideration in the help she is to receive. We are going to family counseling but she doesn't want to go and it is not helping. I feel like I am losing my mind. What do you think of this any help is appreciated.
I think it is absolutely appropriate for you to consider bipolar disorder as a possible diagnosis for her behavior. Your description of silly behavior is not quite clear. You will need to talk to the professional you are seeing about that specifically paying careful note to any other signs of mania: ( ie grandiose behavior, increase risk taking and energy level, decrease need for sleep). The more carefully and thoroughly you describe the behavior the easier it will be for your child to be properly diagnosed.
Be sure to carefully outline your child’s behavior for the professional that is evaluating your child . It also may be helpful for you to fill out the form here http://www.bpchildresearch.org/cbq/index.html
I wish you luck in finding the best help for your Wendy!
Sincerely
Kristen