Posted by Mara on June 21, 2005, at 10:53:09 [reposted on June 22, 2005, at 21:00:35 | original URL]
Hello,
I have just been reading a few of your posts in a search of the net to find out information for my daughter. We are in the process of trying to determine if she has an early stage of some sort of bipolar disorder--maybe cyclothymia, or some other mood disorder. She has also suffered a series of tragedies (suicides of 2 friends) in recent months. I am mortified and every day seems to bring more questions. I do not believe that she is bipolar, and am trying to determine if I am just in denial. Am I supporting her or hurting her by feeling that I am "believing in her" by rejecting the bipolar diagnosis? Is she just experiencing confusion and grief in response to these tragedies? I am lost and looking for a place to vent.
My daughter is 16. She was hospitalized for a week a few months ago and ended up on Depakote (which we chose to try at the time). I hate the medication and think it hurts her more than it helps, and we are cutting the dose. Her psychiatrist's recommendation makes me feel a bit like a neglectful parent. Naturally he is ethically bound to give me a worst case scenario, but all I can do is hope he's wrong and hope I know her better.
I am not looking for answers as you don't know my daughter, but just hoping for any information I can get from some of you who have been there. Thanks for listening.
Do any of you know of any non-pharmaceutical means of supporting someone with a mood disorder?
Tami
poster:Mara
thread:517286
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/child/20050226/msgs/517286.html