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Originally Posted by gris212
Wing how do you cope with your mental illness and the illnesses of your children? I think it would be just too much for me. I take a lot of responsibility at home helping my parents, keeping an eye on my mom's Bipolar and my own. How do you keep your sanity? I would like to have at least 1 child. As a friend once pointed out women were meant to have children and I think I want the experience, but mental health and stability makes me wonder if I can manage everything that comes with being a mother.
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gris, I cope by understanding that the guilt I carry around will be with me all my life. People will say that therapy "helps". Not in this case. That said, guilt is an issue with me on many counts, not just about my kids...
It makes me so happy to see my daughter doing well, though BP threw her off the rails before she realized we were right telling her she will need medication the rest of her life.
My son is in denial. Threw away his lamictal and says he doesn't need it anymore. So far he is OK, but I'm a hawk abt watching him for symptoms, and harp on what the psychiatrist told him when I get an opening.
I don't compare them to others, just stay happy that they're managing their lives as well as anyone else would in their circumstances.
Just because you have a child, doesn't mean he or she will have BP. The chances, last I read, were 1 in 4.
If I had a chance to do it over, i would have stayed childless, BUT I have severe, rapid cycling BP 1 AND that is just what I would do. What is right for me isn't what is right for anyone else. If you are happy with your life, and are stable, I'd say go ahead and roll the dice if you have a strong desire for a child. Every one of them is a blessing.