[Annabeth416]

My Grandson was recently diagnosed as bipolar. When he came to spend the summer after having moved away from us, I noticed a very real change in personality. First there was total lack of respect and getting angry very easily. One minute he would be on top of the world and the next he said he was ugly and stupid. He had problems sleeping at night. He seemed so different and everyone said it was because he was growing up (14). He seemed absolutely obsessed with girls, flitting from one to the other. It wasn't long before I found out he had managed to have sex with one of the girls and from then on his obsession worsened.

He wanted to spend money like crazy buying things he already had or didn't even need. His Dad was relocating so he stayed with us to go to school for a short time. He got into trouble, would not do his work, and managed to get into fights. Finallly I put him in online school for the remainder of the year.

We had always been very close and suddenly me treated me with no respect and seemed to have no concern as to hurting mine or anyone's feelings. People kept telling me it was just because he was a teen but I felt something was wrong.

The final straw was when he became violent and we had to involve the police. He also ran away a couple of times. As soon as he went back to hid Dad, things became worse in his actions and the violent episodes were happening once a week.

Sorry for this being so long. So now he is on Abilify and we thought he was levelling off but he had another episode and tried to jump out of the car. My son is a single parent and the Mom is not in the picture. She is bipolar and is addicted to Meth.

My heart goes out to both my son and grandson and I am looking for ways to help them--long distance. Any suggestions?

Thanks,
Annabeth

[conigogo]

My heart goes out to you. Yours sounds like a very difficult situation. I, myself, have been diagnosed as bipolar, and it is a very frustrating and frightening thing for everyone involved. You have come to the right place, and I hope you find some answers, and that your grandson finds the help he needs to stabilize.

[BlueFaith]

Does your grandson have a therapist or someone he can openly talk to without feeling as if he might be judged? If not, I highly recommend it. I was diagnosed with bipolar when I was 19, and the things you said your grandson was doing sound so familiar to me because I have done them myself. It took therapy and alot of trial and error with meds to get me on the right track. If the Abilify seems to not be doing the job then he might need to be switched to something else. Sometimes it takes awhile to get the medications right. I know it did for me anyway. Also, does he have any hobbies? Anything he enjoys doing (safely)? Maybe get his mind occupied with something he enjoys. Just a few suggestions. I hope everything levels off soon and things start getting better. You're in my thoughts.

[agony007]

welcome to pc! i am so sorry that your grandson and your family are having such a hard time. being bipolar can be very difficult. most times, for me at least, i can't control my actions. i speak before i think, and i can be very irritable and take it out on the wrong people. it comes from our own frustration. like mentalpollution said, it can take a couple of trials to find the right meds. as in her case, i too went through several trials before finding the med that worked for me. Right now i am on seroquel 400mg and it has worked better for me than any other drug combos that i was on. the only drawback is the weight gain. i have gained 20lbs while on this med, but i don't risk getting off because it's the only one that has saved me. it'll be great if he is receiving both therapy and meds. in therapy he can vent out his frustrations and confide things in the therapist that he may not dare say to any relatives. i hope that he is able to get the help he needs to get through this hurdle. my heart goes out to you and your grandson and your family as a whole.