I am hoping I can post this in here. I had previously posted on this web site about symptoms I was seeing in my 16 year old daughter. She has now been diagnosed with bipolar. I think they were reluctant to diagnose a 16 year old, but it is evident that she is very ill. I need some advice as to how to parent her.
She acts like an adult and acts as if personally attacked if asked to follow the rules. (any rules). My biggest worries are twofold. The first is that she is defiant to the max. The second is that she keeps doing things that are truly worrying, but she is so delusional she thinks she is doing nothing wrong.
An example was Friday night. She was working until 8pm and she had told me on the way to work that she wanted to g out after work to see a movie. When it turned out the movie didn't start until 10, and she is sick with a cold, she was told she could meet her boyfriend at the plaza with store and stay until 10pm. Well, at almost 10 they both informed their parents they weren't coming home. She got 2 friends from work to text both sets of parents and say that they were with them in their house. We knew this wasn't true. The night then escalated out of control. I could go on, but I don't want to turn this into a novel.
Does anyone recognize these symptoms and behaviors in bipolar 16 year olds and if so, how do I keep her on the rails, get her through HS and try to get her to behave within some kind of 'normal' frame.
She is currently on 1 lexapro pill a day, and 5 lamictil pills.
Thanks in advance.
Help needed.