This board always has such good advice - I'm hoping someone here can help me know what to do and how to help.

My sister's 18-year-old daughter, who has already been diagnosed manic-depressive and is on meds, has run away. My sister found out that she and her 18-year-old boyfriend have been skipping school, enough to threaten their graduation. She confronted her daughter about it (In the presence of her daughter's shrink) and took her daughter's car keys and cell phone away from her.

The daughter found another key and took the car and disappeared. We're sure she got hold of her boyfriend and believe they've run off together. My sister contacted the police to file a runaway report and, if she wants to, can report the car stolen which should help find the runaways. She's not sure she wants to go that far - yet.

The mother of the boy has gone incommunicado - didnt' even go home last night, apparently, after she heard that the police had been called. That's a mystery and worries us.

The boy did not have a car, so we do believe they're traveling in the daughter's car (which belongs to my sister).

My niece has been a problem for quite a while, very belligerant, doesn't seem to care about her mother at all. My sister is not a perfect mother. She's not a BAD mother either. But I don't think they are able to communicate very well. Certainly not for the last couple of years, which does often seem par for the course for mothers and daughters. I didn't communicate well with my DD#2 when she was that age.

I guess what I'm asking is, since both the girl and boy are over 18 (but not graduated yet) - what options does my sister have? Her daughter doesn't have access to any money. She had about $40 cash and a gas credit card, that's all. He doesn't probably have much cash either.

What can parents do when the situation gets this bad? We don't think the daughter uses drugs, but she did leave without her meds, so will probably get pretty manic for a while and then maybe crash. She has a history of cutting herself and making 'sorta' suicide attempts - taking pills and then immediately telling someone about it. She's been hospitalized once for doing this but spent her whole time in the hospital happily flirting with one boy there.

The bi-polar issues are familiar to me (I have a different sister who is bi-polar) and, of course, they complicate everything. Especially if the niece stays unmedicated for long.

Any advice would be welcome.