:aaaflowerrose09 :aaaflowerrose 09:aaaflowerrose09
or WELCOME WELCOME WELCOME WELCOME

Its nice to find a place where other people appreciate the bedlam of your life isnt it? heck, we can finish your sentences---ahh what relief it was for me---and that is my sincerest hope for you too--youve found a safe harbor that is informative, supportive and occasionally out right fun--( it isnt ALL tears..)

It was very very frustrating for me for a very long time because, like some in the room, both of my kids started out in adolescence with this murkey dysthemic, ADHD, Asberger's like behaviors that start out being treated like depression with SSRI's ( prozac, etc) and ADHD drugs
( ritalin, concerta adderall) that for the most part, made the kids much worse behaviorally and often made them sick to boot. Even with a screaming bilineal (both sides of the family)history of bp disorder- no one wanted to go there-- in spite of the obvious school, home and interpersonal maladaptions--- translation: thrown chairs, broken windows and holes in plaster--screaming matches, stolen money and heartbreak--teacher meetings & school suspensions. To complicate the picture, I was dysfunctional too-- cause in spite of years of treatment for hellacious depression that would not completely abate
even when I was at the top of my game, a social personality like robin williams--(the energizer bunny on speed), years and years and years of therapy- I did not get diagnosed with bipolar 2 disoder until I was 50 ( yes, this is no typing error) 50 years old-- and then by my child's psychiatrist.
Now, I have to say honestly-- I would not have been terribly receptive to a bp diagnosis earlier and if anyone had suggested lithium it would have been as well received as a chalice of hemlock. My life was tortured by my mother's bp1 disorder as a child and I had LOTS of baggage about this-- I would rather have been striken with the bubonic plague, turned into the elephant man, sucked the exhaust from the back of a greyhound bus- well, you get the idea. COUNT ME OUT OF THIS CLUB THANK YOU VERY MUCH....
the point here is, it was easier to swallow this very bitter pill , after being in this room for awhile, cause as I worked with my kids issues I was able to better deal with my own fears. Dealing with my issues helped me be a better parent and deal with theirs.
In addition to the books listed above there is another I would recommend at that is the ADHD bible of diagnosis written by Russell Barkley. This is difficult read--but--
it is a wealth of information--especially tweasing out the main clinical diagnosis and in helping to distinguish co-morbids. (IS IT BP or conduct disorder or ADHD or anxiety and or all of the above or something else!!!) The misdiagnosis of these illnesses and the failure to treat them properly has caused so much pain and disruption in so many people's lives. Thats why you need the creme de la creme of medical detectives to figure this out--- of course to add to the soup, often these illnesses evolve, so
what looks like X is really twighlight Y. geez.
Anyhoo. we here to tell you YOU ARE OK in the world, that it isnt your fault, that sometimes there isnt a right answer, and to encourage you to trust your gut as you explore new ways to handle complex problems. And occasionally, we give you directions to the nearest home depot to buy the spackle and directions on how to fill in the wall-- or how to turn the hole into a vase for spring flowers!!!
we all in this boat together...
patricia:bananna