The treatment went well, at least nothing bad to report. I made an
appointment with my family doctor for next week – to try and figure out that
whole high blood pressure thing, hmmm...
Talking to my son today got me thinking. He has some friends
dealing with mental health issues, and although there is the hospital, Woods,
and ADTP in Calgary there seems to be nothing that really addresses Bipolar
Disorder in teens and children. I realize that there is a lot of debate on
diagnosing Bipolar in youth and kids, but there have been some promising
studies that will hopefully open the door to better understanding.
Picture courtesy of sodahead.com
As someone who has suffered with Bipolar since forever, I would
love to help all of the mental health professionals out there see that it is REAL!!!!
They need to be more diligent about helping these children and youth, as this disease
is so debilitating. Going through adolescence is hard enough for healthy kids, but
when you add Bipolar to the mix that child is walking a tightrope without a
net. Their chance at a ‘normal’ life, of fun and games, friendships, education
and hopes, is impossible. They can’t think like normal kids, they cannot see
the good behind anything. A simple game becomes a testament to their failings.
They want to be out playing with friends, but instead their mind tells them to
hide in solitude. They have dark thoughts that even an adult would have trouble
coping with. They think that death is
the only answer to their pain.
Here is an interesting website on children and adolescence mental
illness:
Flipswitch is dedicated to helping teens & 20s understand depression and bipolar disorder
There are podcasts and resources by adolescence for adolescence...
Sorry if I am repeating myself; but when I was around the ages of
10, 11, or 12 I would hide when I was at family functions (birthdays,
Christmas, etc). I would find a room (bedroom, bathroom) where I could be
hidden, but still hear my family. I would imagine I was dead, and I believed my
death wouldn’t matter as I could hear they were still having fun or doing
whatever even though I wasn’t there. I thought that because things didn’t
change when I was hidden, they were obviously OK without me. In fact, better
off without me. That is the mind of a child with Bipolar.
Anyone that says children cannot have Bipolar, needs to give their
head a shake and give me a call….. I would be happy to help enlighten them!
Some other Bipolar Resources for adults sufferers:
Here is an interesting document for those struggling with Bipolar, but probably also helpful for people that know someone with the illness:
Here is an interesting document for those struggling with Bipolar, but probably also helpful for people that know someone with the illness:
Another
interesting mental health website:
Talk
to y’all tomorrow….
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