Bipolar ...

We always knew that our youngest was hot-headed and quick to frustrate...little did we know that there was more to Skyler than just a bad temper. He is a beautiful child with a heart of gold. He would gladly give you his last piece of candy and the shirt off his back. He smiles at you and everything seems brighter. But, there is another side to him that is not so nice. Skyler was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder and ADHD last year while only in Kindergarten. Prior to that we had problems with him being very oppositional and aggressive at daycare...but Kindergarten was a completely different experience. Because being in school is so much more structured and requires the ability to focus...he began to have problems very early on. His teacher was wonderful. She was very patient and caring. She genuinely wanted to help him be successful in her classroom. There was aggression displayed towards other children and even some destruction of classroom property. The beautiful little child we had always known began to display a side of him we didn't understand. I worked for almost 5 years as an RN on an inpatient Psychiatric unit for children and adolescents...so I knew that something was very wrong. My sweet little boy was so sad and angry. He told me several times that he did not understand why he could not just be good like the other kids. He asked me why no one liked him or wanted to play with him. It broke my heart to see him that way. We went the mental health center, the outpatient facility attached to the hospital I had once worked at. There we met my son's now therapist and a Nurse Practitioner. Both agreed that Psychiatric Testing and therapy were necessary. That is where the long road began. A very long road of trying various medications after he was diagnosed with ADHD initially and then the dreaded diagnosis of Bipolar Disorder. We are still battling on that long road. We hit many forks in the road and very often have no idea which way to go. Sometimes I feel like we have hit a dead end and there is no way to get out of the mess we are in. I'll try to write more later about all of this. I hope that this helps others out there who are dealing with the same or similar things. Just to know that you are not alone. Just to feel like there is some light at the end of the tunnel...even if it is just me holding a flashlight!