[Kim P.]

Does anyone have any experience with young adults with Bipolar/ADD/substance abuse issues. My 17 year old son is struggling and now in county jail. His psychotherapist says he's better off without any meds. I find that really difficult to believe. My son smokes pot and drinks some alcohol, but to my knowledge nothing else.

[badger]

Hi Kim,
Firstly, a psychotherapist is not medically qualified to offer any advice on treatment for your son. Some of these people like hypnotherapists have only done a 3 month course, not quite what you need.
I assume he was diagnosed sometime prior by a psychiatrist, if so the medical records and treatment recommendations would be available to the medical staff at the prison. Medical care must be maintained even if he is away from society. The additional pressure's of being inside means he should be monitored. You would find it is illegal to deny medication for a diagnosed condition (unless it's your sons choice)- "human rights".
best wishes
Nick

[comediktragedi]

I'm a nineteen year old girl with bipolar disorder. I was diagnosed about three months before my seventeenth birthday though. The self medication with alcohol and pot is just that. Self medication, and it stands to probably make him even more unbalanced then anything else. It is important to find him a psychiatrist not a therapist to help him with medicinal treatment. And also, any therapist who says that it isn't necessary to treat bipolar disorder with meds, especially after trouble with the law because of it, needs to have their license revoked.

Good luck, and I hope things even out a bit.

Jailynn

A caution if he continues to use alcohol it might be a good idea to stay away from Depakote as this combo is very hard on the liver. A better choice would be Lamictal, but you need to have him evaluated by a competent psychiatrist. Good luck.

I started my journey with bipolar at 15 & I'm 54 now. It is definitely a challenging journey, but I'm still here & have been married 34 years & have 2 great, happy & successful kids. He can have a full life once he gets the proper meds & therapy & learns how to manage his life on a daily basis.

Relapses are to be expected, unfortunately, but some lucky people do sail through will no further episodes once they are stabilized. In either case, there is hope with proper treatment--a psychiatrist or other specialist (I go to a psychiatric nurse pracitioner whose main focus is bipolar & medication & works under a psychiatrist) & you may not end up with the first one you see.

The first psychiatrist I saw was too rigid, keeping me on one medication that did not provide me with a good enough quality of life. He felt that was as good as it was going to get for me. Well, that was unacceptable for me so I left him & found this nurse practitioner through my therapist & after a year of trial & error came up with a "cocktail" that had an amazing difference--energy, positive outlook, delusional thoughts subsided, paranoia gone--it was like, WOW!!

I know your heart is hurting so much now, but there is hope.--Suzy

[ScaredSad]

Hi, sorry for what you are going through with your son.

My first suggestion would be to ask his therapist why he makes that statement. Just ask for details and to elaborate as much as possible...

It could be that your son disclosed an intent to overdose on his medications and his therapist is concerned for his safety right now. Normally, he'd be mandated to refer him for inpatient treatment but since he's incarcerated, there's not much else the therapist can do until your son is released.

Or, perhaps, the therapist no longer believes that bipolar disorder is the cause of your son's issues. Some disorders are not well managed with medications (personality disorders, etc) and require other interventions.

It could also be, like the others said, that this therapist is talking out of his arse.

Regardless of the reasoning for the therapist's decision, I'd still seek input from this therapist as to why he made the statement and a second or even third opinion... just to be sure. If your son is in prison, all state/federal facilities have clinical psychologists and clinical social workers present for evaluations of inmates.

Again, I'm sorry for what you are experiencing. Good luck with your son.