| There are two sides to every story, and the tale of my daughter's experience with childhood-onset bipolar disorder is no exception. The difference in age, experience, priorities, and perceptions between child and parent can create two very different versions of the same events. |
| Carmen knew at a very young age that her brain worked differentlyand I did not. She sometimes saw things that weren't there and was afraid. As a young single mother, I dismissed her hallucinations as bad dreams, wiped away her tears, soothed over her moods, and relished her joy for life. She was a lovable, bright, pretty girl with a passionate disposition that seemed no more important a quirk than her enthusiasm for the Barbies and girlish clothes I had disdained in my tomboy childhood. That was just Carmen: |
| quick to laugh, quick to cry, always dramatic, curious, and on the move. |
| A neurological difference becomes a neurological disorder gradually. It can happen so quietly that parents are shocked when difficult symptoms emerge, even though problems have been bubbling under the surface for years. As Carmen came closer to puberty, others were quicker to notice than I. A concerned fifth-grade teacher thought an alternative school known for its creative bent might be a better fit than our neighborhood elementary, so we transferred her. Carmen's new stepfather raged over her sassy, smart-mouth attitude and bouts of tears, so we sought marriage counseling. At her new school, reports of misbehavior filtered homefighting, moodiness, crying, oppositional behavior in the classroom, rumors of an eating disorderso we stuck up for our daughter, angry that the school blamed our parenting skills and stepfamily blending problems. |
| But as such things progress, there comes a time when you can no longer deny that something is wrong. Perhaps you are at that stage right now: your child has just been diagnosed with a bipolar disorder, or you fear that he or she will be. Perhaps you're a professional who works with children and teens |
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