When I was a kid...little did I know about mental illness. Seems to me that all of the sudden more and more people are being diagnosed as bipolar(young and old).Are these the people that we would consider moody in the past?

Probably a little of both. Bipolar can be triggered by many things including drug use and that appears to have caused it to be more prevalent. But I also think we have this big business pharmacology and they want us taking pills for everything. The description for people who might need anti-anxiety medication is so broad as to cover any human being with emotions and the same many times goes for depression. Medication has a valid place, but the tail appears to be wagging the dog in this area. I would be interested in how many people have seen this used versus abused.

Well, I will tell you that modern pharmaceuticals are a wonder for me and mine. My husband, who had a terrible childhood due to his fathers' abuse, was finally put on meds after his cancer diagnosis at 46 and until the day he died he swore that if he had had that medication in his younger days, he would have been able to cope. When my mother and husband were diagnosed and were both dying, my doctor put me on Paxil and it was a lifesaver. My father was on something for a few years after my mother died and it helped him immensely. My only suggestion is that you go to a psychiatrist to be diagnosed and medicated, because the general physician can and will just medicate away, but the psychiatrist will help you find the root of the problem and solve that along with the meds.

Thought anyone interested in teens with bipolar disorder migfht want to take a look at this article:

http://www.connectforkids.org/benton_topics1544/benton_topics_show.htm?doc_id=134462

It profiles a young woman who was diagnosed when she was 17 and how she has come to live with. It also has some good facts about the illness and how it effects teens.

[ December 02, 2002, 11:20 AM: Message edited by: Candice Johnson ]

My son was diagnosed with schizophrenia when he was 18. It took two court ordered visits to the local mental health crisis unit before FINALLY one doctor believed his father and I and diagnosed the situation. The first visit - he was seen by the "hottest expert" on schizophrenia in our area and I was told that I needed to get a restraining order on him and he told my son he needed to "grow up" and he released him. Two days later I found him walking AGAINST traffic on a 6 lane highway and I called the police and had him admitted once again. This time they kept him and started medication.

That started 5 years of drugged hell for my son. Oh, the meds stopped the violence - the best thing I suppose -- but the voices never stopped. 24/7 they tormented him. The first med made him a walking zombie - for a year he lived like that. Then the second med brought my son back from the living dead. He could function almost normally, but the side effects were horrible. We tried a third med and within 48 hours he was being chased around the house by the Blair Witch trying to kill him. It took another 48 hours of constantly being with him (the only time she didn't try to get him was when I was in the room - I even had to go into the bathroom with him during that time) and it took 4 days before we could get through to his doctor at the mental health clinic to get him back on his other meds. Thank GOD for the pharmacist who gave us enough of his Zyprexia to get him through until the doctor finally talked to us and the pharmacy -- and I had to threaten law suit and coming down to the clinic and standing on the receptionist desk screaming for attention until we got through.

Then we tried one more med -- he told me the voices were less but more violent -- but he could handle them. His doctor saw him on Friday for about 5 min (which is about all they ever saw him - 5-10 min every 3 months)-- Monday night he left us. When I told the doctor she said - well that's not unusual -- when schizophrenic patients start feeling better is when they usually commit suicide. I asked her if she didnt feel that would have been a valuable piece of information to give us BEFORE they switched him -- but they rationalized it that he had told them he was fine 4 days before.

Why have I told you this? Because I want everyone to be aware that they have to be SOOOoo responsible for their loved ones care -- or their own -- because even with as much as I thought I had researched the illness and the new meds -- I failed to save my son ----

Be careful out there ----

I have a friend who has been dealing with her brother and mental illness for years. Her father was abusive to him growing up and now he is on drugs and has a mental illness. He lives with thier mom in the mid-west and the mother fears for her life dailey. The police come when he holds a gun to her head, but a few days in jail is all he gets. The mother will not leave him because he is her son. My friend has called every agency (including Shep Pratt who takes these public cases), but gets nowhere. She has been told he will have to "do some damage" before he can get help. She is a faithful Jew and we pray often about it. Faith is everything.

We went through several months of violence with my son before we got a diagnosis. The police would come and he'd be fine. They told us the same thing -- we can't do anything unless we put a restraining order on him -- which was out of the question because we knew our son to be a very gentle soul and knew something was terribly wrong.
Finally, we discovered that we could Baker Act him into the crisis unit. As I said, it took two times of doing that before they were able to court order him to stay, but please tell your friend to check it out through her court house.

To Lionspaaw: thank you for sharing so openly with strangers your story. You are so generous to pass on your experiences in the face of your own pain because none of us ever knows when we might be faced with the same or similar circumstances. Especially when we consider that often, especially in boys, the illness doesn't manifest until teen years and is often mistaken for other things. God Bless you.

Especially with subjects like this, I think it's very important for people to share their experiences. If even one family can keep from going down the same path we did -- that's what it's all about. And if someone has gone down that path -- it's important to know they aren't alone.

I worked for 10 years in a rehab program for adults with mental illneess (bipolar, schizophrenic, etc), some as young as 18 and have observed many situations and gotten to know many individuals. Suicide is especially common for the young, newly diagnosed individuals who havne't come to terms with their diagnosis. Still, so many schizophrenics and bi-polars are so brave and try so hard, and so many are so gifted. I ache for them and their families. The professionals try very hard to do a good job, but there doesn't seem to be enough good information and there certainly could be a better system! I want to encourage anyone who knows someone who's been recently diagnosed to check out jerrycott.com -- Dr. Cott is a pharmeceutical researcher who was with NIH looking at natural remedies for mental illness and did experiements with fish oil. (He left NIH after about 19 years because they quit being interested in natural remedies.) He has an interesting theory about omega-6 and brain chemistry and says that he's had great success with newly diagnosed patients (especially bipolar), but after people start using synthetic psycho-pharmeceuticals, their brains adapt to the new drugs and the natural remedies don't make any improvements. A problem is, though, that psychiatrists are uncomfortable with recommending regulating diet and using supplements probably because it doesn't give a quick fix and families are usually so desperate, which I don't fault them for. Still, it's worth understanding his alternative view.

Here's some helpful information to anyone who is dealing with a loved one with a mood disorder: there are support groups called DRADA, which stands for Depression and Related Affective Disorders Association, which are sponsored by Johns Hopkins. They meet at different days and times, and in many counties. There are groups for either patients only, patients and their families, or just caregivers/family members. It depends on how you are feeling and what you need from the group. I attend a group for caregivers only, and it has been my saving grace, dealing with 2 family members in my household who suffer from mood disorders. There is always someone there who has been there and done that, or can understand and empathize. Just knowing that you are not alone is very healing and therapeutic! (If they can do it for 2 more weeks, then so can I! ) Information is also shared and discussed. I learned this last Monday: "Hope is a choice, not a feeling". I'm working on making that stick, for the times when things don't feel hopeful. My particular group has a leader who is very faithful, and she brings in non-denominational meditations to start things off each meeting. For information on DRADA you can call (410) 955-4647. There is a web site also, but I left my info at work. I believe it is DRADA.org, but don't quote me!