I'm sorry to hear your child suffers from that. Were they prescribed lithium? My main focus of skepticism are on the antidepressants and anti anxiety medications. I consider antipsychotic medication treatments in the classification of chemical imbalance or neurostructural issues.
If your child does take antidepressant or antianxiety meds -- are there noticeable improvements/benefits? From my experience the side effects seem to destroy the person and make them almost robotic. Have you tried teaching you child any non-medical coping techniques and strategies for manic/depressive episodes? Do any work?
Yes, it's lithium. It's also going to destroy his liver by the time he reaches 60...but I'm mostly concerned that he reaches 60. Without the lithium, he's a literal monster. Hateful, angry, venomous...scary as fuck tbh.
Every year for the past 6 years we have tried to change his medication over the holiday season (Thanksgiving through January). Every year we've done that has been a nightmare. He literally is capable of killing off his medication. On it, he's the sweetest child in the world. He loves animals, babies, smiles, is the most helpful and kind person in the world and he enjoys his life. His medication levels are low, so it's a fine balance of adding more as he grows, but all the signs are there when he's outgrown it...so no, he's never robotic...he was when we have tried other medications, but not the lithium.
My hope is we can get him to adulthood and he can find new ways to cope...but without his medications right now, I honestly do not think he would make it to 15.
It's a nightmare...it's sad. It's a horrible existence for him. My only goal is to help him grow into adulthood and pray he has learned enough at that point to succeed in medicating himself or finding an alternative that works for him.
He's my stepson. His father and father's family have severe bipolar disorder on their side of the family and they've all made it to adulthood, so there is hope for him. It's severe enough that it almost made me walk away from the situation entirely...but it's also a challenge that I know God gave me to deal with because he believes I can.
Bipolar disorder is fucked up...it can make the nicest person you could ever know, a fucking monster that you can't believe exists. I wouldn't wish this on anyone.
Note to guys thinking of getting married and having children -- check the woman out for hereditary mental problems first. Two things you don't want, a pound dog, and a woman with a history of mental illness.
It all came from the childs father's side, but yes...that's actually very sound advice. Not everyone should have a child. I wouldn't trade him for the world, but the life he'll lead will not be an easy one...and if he ever has his own family, the cycle will never end. But...I'd rather have a million kids just like him who can be treated and loved than to have 1 child without a parent to love them at all and without any hope.
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