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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 5 of 5. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Eggy on June 18, 2003, at 12:16:52
My daughter is on summer vacation from school and asked why she had to stay with grandma once a week. I told her I had to see a Dr. once a week. Then she thought I was sick so I told her I saw a therapist. Then I finally told her I was Bi-polar. I didn't tell her every diagnosis I thought Bi-polar was a good one to start with.
She had a lot a questions such as will she become Bi-polar?
What exactly is it?
Why do I have to go to therapy?
What does it do to me?
Is that what makes me act crazy sometimes?
Is that why I am in the hospital so much?...she doesn't know it's a psych unit!
I really didn't know what to say to her. I told her I would find some info on the computer and let her read it. I didn't realize how much I didn't know about it until she kept asking me questions. What should I tell her? She is old enough to know and understand. So I want to be honest.
Posted by monkeypaw on June 18, 2003, at 20:18:32
In reply to What to tell young daughter about being Bi-polar?, posted by Eggy on June 18, 2003, at 12:16:52
How old is old enough? If you feel she is old enough to know the truth, then why ask what to tell her. Tell her the truth. Just my opinion. best of luck
Posted by deirdrehbrt on June 18, 2003, at 20:58:19
In reply to Re: What to tell young daughter about being Bi-polar?, posted by monkeypaw on June 18, 2003, at 20:18:32
Hi Eggy,
To start, there is a lot of good information out there. I'm certain that you understand your daughter well enough to find something that is age-appropriate. You might want to ask your therapist for some suggested titles. As to whether or not your daughter will 'get' Bipolar, it has been shown to run in families. I made sure that my daughter's therapist understood that I was bipolar so that if some evidence of it showed up, she might be treated earlier in the process.
I think that you know your daughter best, and you need to decide for yourself what you thing is appropriate for her, and what she can handle. Trust your parenting skills, you know what she can handle, you know what she needs to know, and you know what her doctors need to know.
I'm sure you can keep coming back here for whatever help you might need.
Be well,
Dee.
Posted by snood on June 23, 2003, at 16:14:40
In reply to Re: What to tell young daughter about being Bi-polar?, posted by deirdrehbrt on June 18, 2003, at 20:58:19
My kids don't understand why I see a Dr. that just talks......my oldest says "he's not a real Dr., he doesn't even listen to your heart!" LOL I think there are books for children that explain mental illnesses. But, here's a website you can look at........
http://f.webring.com/cgi-bin/Hubsearch?ring=bmadness;sid=;ringsearch
Maybe you can find something there that might help......
Posted by girl on July 9, 2003, at 9:37:25
In reply to Re: What to tell young daughter about being Bi-polar?, posted by deirdrehbrt on June 18, 2003, at 20:58:19
Sorry, this has nothing to do with your young daughter. But best of luck. It's never easy because such situations are difficult to explain even to grown adults!
I just wanted to know what on earth is the difference between bipolar, bipersonality and so on. My Doc says that it's just a difference the width of a hairline. Is that true?
This is the end of the thread.
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