feeling guilty

My youngest son has officially been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and my oldest son received a physical birth defect from me. I feel like I failed them somehow. My son is nowhere as bad at this time as I am but I can't help being afraid for him. Just don't want him to have to travel my road. My bipolar has been treatment resistant. I will just be there for him as much as I can. Any suggestions?

You nor any one else failed your children. It can and does happen to many others. We can understand where your are coming from. You probably would not hold your birth mother responsible for your BP, but I can't know for sure. Now that we know the test results, you and the others just have to try to make the best of it all. That will probably take both work and medications. Go forward with hope, and understand for all it can get better.

It might sound like an odd thing to say, but in some ways your son is lucky that you are his Mum

His Mum is someone who understands what BP is and what it
does to us.

And that is a huge benefit

I told him today to take his medications as ordered I don't want him to end up treatment resistant like me. I was diagnosed wrong to long and now I am paying for it so i am hopeful. I am proud of him for taking the step to get help. It took a lot for him but no matter what I will always be there for him.

Im 47 diagnosed at 43 .. My daughter was diagnosed 4 months after I was she's 22 now .

Yes I felt guilty and my daughter told me to go stuff it Her and I share our goofy Bipolar moments, We share the ups and downs and altho she now lives 750 miles away our mood shifts are about the same.

Dont beat yourself up, He's in treatment and he will learn ways to manage life while having Bipolar.

know the feeling..I sometimes wonder about my daughter but she is in the just think positive mom stage..and I'm in the oh **** she's just like I was..well..like others have said, it's a good thing that you know all about being bipolar and that you will be able to share and talk about it..in many family's it's a secret and people suffer in silence. and also I doNt think it only come from you..It goes far back..and there are lots of other considerations..

Sorry to hear you're blaming yourself. I recently figured out my dad was BP and his father was bp. Both dead now. Father killed self after having a health complication and felt he did not want to be reliant on anyone else or alone. Grandfather killed self by not eating. I think your son is lucky to have a strong mother who will be there for him. I cannot blame anything on anyone. It is what it is. One older brother dx schizophrenia, another bp, and my sorry butt bp. We all work and manage the best we can. Glad you're there for him!