She Might Have Been an Only Child

Posted on December 14, 2006 in Bipolar Disorder

A piece from The Huffington Post describing one parent’s struggle with a daughter who has bipolar disorder:

While in preschool, Jennifer was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder (A.D.D.). Shortly thereafter, she was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (A.D.H.D.).

What her diagnosis and countless therapy sessions ultimately yielded was something that as parents was extremely hard to grasp. The reason she couldn’t follow simple instructions, such as putting the four piece puzzle away, was because she physically couldn’t put the four piece puzzle away. The conditions of her disorders make it nearly impossible to focus long enough to finish the task. One of us would literally need to get down on the floor and walk her through the process one piece at a time. Furthermore, her difficulty in going to didn’t come from a mere curiosity to see what goes on around the house at all hours of the night. She couldn’t sleep because her mind doesn’t shut down.

With further testing and much more therapy, at the age of five and a half, Jennifer was diagnosed with bipolar disorder.

While I had certainly heard of this disorder, I wasn’t exactly sure what it was. Even after it was explained to me by our very competent team of psychotherapists, I still didn’t really understand what it was – probably just my way of denying that my beautiful daughter could have something such as this. The harsh reality was that bipolar disorder is a life-long, incurable, mental illness. And believe me when I tell you, uttering the words “mental illness” – moreover, accepting that those concepts apply to your own flesh and blood is nothing short of painful. Fact #1: My daughter is mentally ill. Thankfully, it sounds a hell of a lot more dramatic than it actually is. At least I hope that’s the case.

The article examines the question of resisting medications and the costs. A very nice and true personal summary which holds out hope for the young who are just now being diagnosed.

It’s sad, that to write forthrightly about this subject, that the author has to resort to anonymity. Many a voice has been stifled by the obsessive observations of others.