My father has Bipolar and I was wondering what the risk is of me having it as my brother also has it. It is true that if a parent has bipolar it increases the chances of a child having the illness also significantly.  However it does not mean indefinitely.  According to studies done at John Hopkins University parents with bipolar II were 40% likely to pass down bipolar II to their children.  Likewise 22% of the bipolar I parents also passed down bipolar II to their children.  Doctors are still not quite sure why or how this happens.  There still aren’t enough studies or evidence to point to any one factor. I have two children, two daughters, both highly intelligent.  Bug is 10, Bee is 7.  When Bug was 7 yrs. old she started showing symptoms and I immediately got her help.  She was diagnosed bipolar pretty quickly.  She’s had [...]

My friend’s son who is 13 years old has always been sensitive, my friend used to tell us how to behave around him right from a baby so as not to upset him. He had no friends at nursery school, he teased them  to death, he’d always talk out of turn and too much and laugh at others downfalls.  Now he hits his mum, wishes her dead, doesn’t work at school and has began breaking up things in the house when he gets really mad and freaks out which seems to be every other day. He’s been taking medication for AD but I don’t believe that’s his problem, he sounds more bipolar and I’m worried for my friend as this boy gets older he gets worse.  What do you think?  I don’t want to suggest this to her until I get a second opinion.  Parents are separated and dad never [...]

It was mid 2010 when I met her. She had commented on a post of a fellow blogger recounting her tales of what it was like to rage as a young child. Every word she typed captured the hearts of each mother reading it. Finally … someone had explained what their own children were going through. She was an inspiration, a breath of fresh air, and a young woman destined for greatness. Within days I brought to her the idea of Ask a Bipolar and together we founded this website. Two young bipolar women who were just out to share their experiences with bipolar disorder. Although at the time she was only 15, every post she composed read as though the words were being spoken by a scholarly middle aged woman. This post on when and why she decided to seek help for her illness is only a glimpse of [...]

Wow … that sounded way dirtier than I intended. ANNNYYYYWWWAAAYYYYSSS With the site continuously growing I kinda want to do a quick check in with our readers and get a wee bit of feedback. SO I have two questions for ya’ll. 1. What drew you in about the site and kept you coming back for more? 2. What would cause you to flee and no longer visit us? See how easy that was!?!?! Kay now it’s your turn … Just answer these questions in the comment and we will be in love forever! (Platonically of course …) Ready … set … GO!!!! Do you have a question that needs answering? Click here to submit… Tweetff0f01b1033070dab8c076456f20ba2cLink to this post!

I was diagnosed as having bipolar II. I would like to know if the hospital is the best place to be when you are feeling like dying and crying so much all the time or give your medication change a time to adjust to you body? Which is better? I feel I may be in the hospital too long. I have a job and I am worried about being really bored and wanting to sleep all the time there in the hospital. I feel like the doctors may not let me leave when I want to. What would you do if you feel like you don’t know what your purpose in life is and wish you were never born? Gosh, I read this email and I thought that I had actually been the author!!!!  I am going through the same exact thing myself.  5 years ago, when I was diagnosed [...]