The Ups and Downs of Raising a Bipolar Child: A Survival Guide for Parents

Our adopted daughter is only 4 years old. She has FAS, mood disorder NOS, separation disorder and ADHD. I have learned so much from this book and I am only half way through it. I have learned ways to occupy her mind like baking cookies and playing with clay. I learned about the medications and their side effects. We would have started risperdal today but, this book prompted me to call the psychiatrist and request behavioral therapy before we start medications. The doctor agreed that this was a good idea due to her young age. This book showed me that "WE CAN DO THIS". The knowledge and understanding that I have gained from this book will last a lifetime.

This book is a godsend for clinicians, bipolar children, and their families. It includes every important experience, concern, quest, and resource I have ever come across in my practice full of many bipolar children and their families. The book is written in a compassionate style and knowing vantage point that only the author-mother of a bipolar child could achieve. The brief but pointed notes from the psychiatrist at the end of each chapter provide added expertise in an artful and humble way which I think parents can really appreciate. By so placing these comments, the message is clear: we psychiatrists often learn more from our patients than they do from us. Occasionally, we have something relevant to add. I found each chapter not only incredibly true to life, but extremely informative. Especially useful are the web sites, names of organizations and support groups, and other recources which are usually obtainable only by laboriously researching a vast number of widely varying and often unrelated sources. To top it all off, the last chapter discusses guardianships, trusts, and other methods of financially protecting bipolar children. These issues are seldom brought up in timely fashion, if at all, by clinicians. Further, families are often totally unaware of the options, and have no guidelines for even posing the necessary questions. Since reading this book, I have recommended it to every parent of a bipolar child who has walked into my office. For some parents, reading this book has provided a diagnostic revelation, and hope for a future which had seemed hopelessly bleak. The seal of authenticity offered by the author-parent, as well as by the testimony of the parents who responded to her surveys is the most convincing "selling point" of this book for parents who are otherwise tired of hearing quasi-expert opinions from professionals, family, and friends. I have also recommended this book to my colleagues, most of whom treat only adult patients. I hope after reading this book, that they will listen with a different ear to their adult patients who describe the particular trials of parenting their children. Perhaps, rather than buying and reinforcing many a parent's guilt ridden self report that their own inconsistent parenting is the identifiable problem, informed clinicians will ask the probing questions which may uncover the real issues, and bring more undiagnosed bipolar children into much needed treatment. Many thanks for this honest, wonderfully researched, and beautifully readable book. Anne Fenton, MD website: http://www.CommonSenseMedical.com

I thought I was alone in dealing with my daughter's situation. Absolutely no one in my community understood what I was going through, and blamed me for her behavior. I feel more in control, now that I've read this book. The author shares stories from others who have endured experiences similar to my own. She describes the physical condition behind Biopolar disorder in laymen's terms. Then, she gives practical sugggestions for dealing with the situation. The book is a quick-read--something you will appreciate if you need to help yourself FAST.

This book is extremely informative and helpful. I love the "notes from the couch" sections at the end of each chapter. No really good books had been written for parents before this. Thanks and conragulations to the authors (ESPCIALLY DR. CANDIDA FINK).

This is a must for any parent with a child with Early Onset Bipolar Disorder. I very rarely highlight a book but this one now has many pink markings and I have told my husband he must read this. There are very few books on Early Onset Bipolar Disorder and this is one of three that I strongly encourage you to read.Many believe that BP stands for bad parenting, this book dispels this myth. If any child in your family has Early Onset Bipolar Disorder I would suggest reading this book and passing it onto all the family members!!