Bipolar Mysteries and Born Schizophrenic

[LuvOrlando]

I just watched both of these shows on Discovery Health Sunday night and was heartbroken for everyone involved. They were both about mental illness in extremely young children.

I was wondering in anyone else happened to see these stories too?

 

[The Mystery Machine]

No, I did see a young girl with schizophrenia on Oprah, did they show her?

 

[LuvOrlando]

I checked Oprah's website and yes, Jani from Oprah was one of the children discussed on Born Schizophrenic. I didn't see it but how was the Oprah episode? These 2 shows from Discovery Health were absolutely heart wrenching.

 

[eeyore65]

I feel for the families involved. There seems to be no easy answer for how to care for those afflicted. I saw the Oprah show and I thought she handled it with dignity for all involved while showing the day to day life of these people.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

I checked Oprah's website and yes, Jani from Oprah was one of the children discussed on Born Schizophrenic. I didn't see it but how was the Oprah episode? These 2 shows from Discovery Health were absolutely heart wrenching.

Really got into detail about Jani and the day to day struggles the parents have with her and basically explained her issues.

They just cannot get her out of a psychotic state even with meds. They are trying other techniques to keep her "on this planet" so to speak.

 

[ChrizJen]

I saw those shows.
I've never dealt with schitzophrenic children, but bipolar in children is something I've had experience with. Mental illness in children is extremely challenging for everyone involved. What's truly saddest of all are the years that these poor children have to go being labeled as "bad kids" before a diagnosis can be made. Pediatric Psychiatrists aren't always willing to jump to an early diagnosis of any mental illness. I can certainly see why. Different pediatric conditions can have so many similar symptoms that it's usually almost impossible to make a truly accurate diagnosis in children that young. You'd hate for a false diagnosis to label a child forever.

I also saw a lot of hope in those shows though. It was so nice to see truly devoted parents who are doing everything in their power and devoting everything they have to making sure that their children can have as normal a childhood as possible. What's absolutely heart-wrenching is to see a family torn apart from childhood mental illness because parents just don't have the knowledge and resources to care for the children. So then the child ends up in an institution.

Mental illness in children is just like any disability. You just have to work around the "bad" stuff, and all the rest is good!!

 

[LuvOrlando]

Sometimes, no matter how devoted a family is or how knowledgeable they are institutionalization can sometimes be the only option. I know you mean well but unless you've lived with a full blown mentally ill full grown adult who is running around in a insomnia induced psychotic state while everyone in the house is vulnerable and sleeping you can't imagine the dangers present. It would be nice to think that love alone would give families all they need to handle these illnesses, but it isn't, it's not true with mental illness and it's not true with physical illness. Just like the ill are limited by their own bodies, so are the caregivers. The love of a parent has no limit, but a parent's capacity to offer appropriate care can be, in severe cases, limited.

 

[luvwinnie]

Jani's story really hit me hard. I could not imagine living like that (from her point of view or her parents). So tragic.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Sometimes, no matter how devoted a family is or how knowledgeable they are institutionalization can sometimes be the only option. I know you mean well but unless you've lived with a full blown mentally ill full grown adult who is running around in a insomnia induced psychotic state while everyone in the house is vulnerable and sleeping you can't imagine the dangers present. It would be nice to think that love alone would give families all they need to handle these illnesses, but it isn't, it's not true with mental illness and it's not true with physical illness. Just like the ill are limited by their own bodies, so are the caregivers.

I think you are misreading the discussion a bit here. We are talking about children and not adults.

Obviously adult discussion is vastly different. I have plenty to go round with schizophrenia and bipolar in my family & dh's family.

And yes, finding a place for a mentally ill adult is going to be necessary otherwise they will be on the streets or in jail.

But as a child, heartwrenching because you know your kid will be a drugged up zombie if they are not responding to meds and they are in a institution. I think the cases on the shows are pretty severe. The kids are basically psychotic.

 

[Mommy2three]

Thought i'd jump in here. My 10 year old daughter has been diagnosed with ADHD, bipolar, schizophrenia, ptsd, reactive attatchment disorder, oppositional defiance disorder, and OCD, and anxiety disorder, and disassociative identity disorder. My daughter has been thru alot in her 10 years, she was abandoned by her birth mother when dad was overseas serving in the army, she was 2 years old at the time. Her birth mom also has schizophrenia, and bipolar.

She has been hospitalized 2 times so far, because the voices are telling her to make "shanks" homemade weapons, and to kill her family with them. I have to do daily bedroom checks, under her mattress, in her desk, etc,to make sure there is nothing in there. I have to have door alarms on her bedroom door so I know when she comes out of her room in the middle of the night.

She has her ups and downs, and is on many many meds.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Thought i'd jump in here. My 10 year old daughter has been diagnosed with ADHD, bipolar, schizophrenia, ptsd, reactive attatchment disorder, oppositional defiance disorder, and OCD, and anxiety disorder, and disassociative identity disorder. My daughter has been thru alot in her 10 years, she was abandoned by her birth mother when dad was overseas serving in the army, she was 2 years old at the time. Her birth mom also has schizophrenia, and bipolar.

She has been hospitalized 2 times so far, because the voices are telling her to make "shanks" homemade weapons, and to kill her family with them. I have to do daily bedroom checks, under her mattress, in her desk, etc,to make sure there is nothing in there. I have to have door alarms on her bedroom door so I know when she comes out of her room in the middle of the night.

She has her ups and downs, and is on many many meds.

So sorry to hear that. I can't imagine coping with that daily.

 

[LuvOrlando]

I think you are misreading the discussion a bit here. We are talking about children and not adults.

Obviously adult discussion is vastly different. I have plenty to go round with schizophrenia and bipolar in my family & dh's family.

And yes, finding a place for a mentally ill adult is going to be necessary otherwise they will be on the streets or in jail.

But as a child, heartwrenching because you know your kid will be a drugged up zombie if they are not responding to meds and they are in a institution. I think the cases on the shows are pretty severe. The kids are basically psychotic.

A teenager is still a child in an adult body. I don't want to veer into a talk about adults but the line is very close. My 12 year old DS is already taller than I am and could easily overpower me, but he is still plainly a child. My point was not intended to stir things up. If you had seen the Discovery Health shows you would have seen the anguish these parents live with over the knowledge that children do grow to be adult size. The thought of a family member reading though this who was forced to make such a decision is what prompted my post, not my desire to put anyone out and not to go off topic. Rather my point was to bring in some gentility to what could be a painful idea to read.

 

[Sparx]

I wish more was being done in psychopharmacology to develop safe medications for children with (manic) depression. So many of the medications approved for us adults haven't even been tested on children so there are very few options for some of these kids who's parents/doctors want a "safe" (i.e. tested and approved) medication for their children.

Its a relatively "new" idea in psychology that these diseases and disorders can affect children. Up until the last century, it was a common idea that what happens to children and in childhood has no real bearing on the adult which is obviously 100% not true. I'm honestly glad that they're making documentaries like this (even though its sad these children have these disorders) because its bringing these issues to the mainstream media.

I wish mental health was a bigger deal. These children have to go through so much to even find someone to understand they're not just "bad kids" and have a real problem. Warning sings go unnoticed. Its like how children develop somatic stomachaches because its not socially acceptable for a six year old to be stressed and they have no outlet for their stress the way adults do.

 

[ChrizJen]

And I was in no way saying that there aren't ever cases when institutionalization is necessary. Even in the show referenced above this child (Jani) has schitzophrenia so severe that she is almost always hallucinating. Her condition so far cannot be managed with medication. The parents have gone to great lengths to keep themselves, Jani, and their other child safe. They went so far as to keep 2 separate apartments so that sleeping arrangements are safer. But there are even times for her when residential treatment is the only option. I realize that there are instances where it just can't be avoided.
All I was saying was that it's good to see parents who are at least willing to try to make things workable for the sake of the children. As I said before, I've dealt with pediatric mental illness. It's not an easy road. It's exhausting and frustrating and disheartening, and at times I've been at the end of my rope. There are times when I just don't know if I can do it anymore. But then there are the good times that remind me why I do it.

I just wanted to clarify that I wasn't in any way criticizing parents who, for the safety of the child and other family members, have had to institutionalize a child with mental illness. Sometimes there's no other choice. BUT I just don't like to see parents who simply don't want to deal with it any more and give up. That's what's sad to me.

 

[LuvOrlando]

I know what you meant CrizJen and that it was said with kindness, but I could also see how it could have been misinterpreted which is why I addressed it myself. This is a very sensitive topic so I'm trying to be cautious, i didn't mean to make you feel bad either.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

A teenager is still a child in an adult body. I don't want to veer into a talk about adults but the line is very close. My 12 year old DS is already taller than I am and could easily overpower me, but he is still plainly a child. My point was not intended to stir things up. If you had seen the Discovery Health shows you would have seen the anguish these parents live with over the knowledge that children do grow to be adult size. The thought of a family member reading though this who was forced to make such a decision is what prompted my post, not my desire to put anyone out and not to go off topic. Rather my point was to bring in some gentility to what could be a painful idea to read.

I see your point.

I am just thankful people open their homes to the mentally ill. I can't even imagine that.

My cousin is in a group home for almost a yr now. He is about almost 40 and finally has gotten help this late in life. Without that person who takes in the mentally ill he would be on the streets or much worse. He has never been helped by meds but then again his family ignored his illness. Although I would consider him "severe" as he started with symptoms as a middle schooler.

My MIL is schizophrenic and is doing OK. She is slipping as of recently. She has been on Zyprexa since it came out, which is a very long time. I knew this day would come when her med begins to fail her. Or it could be all the stress of her kids getting to her. Financially there are worries and she worries.

She was able to have a huge chunk of successful yrs with family on that med. I am grateful for the people that made it.

 

[ChrizJen]

I know what you meant CrizJen and that it was said with kindness, but I could also see how it could have been misinterpreted which is why I addressed it myself. This is a very sensitive topic so I'm trying to be cautious, i didn't mean to make you feel bad either.

to you BTW for all that you do for your son. You are in a very difficult position where you know he's still just a kid, but he has the strength of an adult, and can't control it. I know it's not easy, and it really is heartbreaking.
Hugs to anyone who has to care for a child with any disability. It's not easy.
And the ones in which the child will never be able to function in normal society are gut-wrenching.
LuvOrlando, I see what you're saying. It has to be the most painful thing to spend all of these years working with your son's disability only to face the reality that he may never be able to function normally.

 

[LuvOrlando]

to you BTW for all that you do for your son. You are in a very difficult position where you know he's still just a kid, but he has the strength of an adult, and can't control it. I know it's not easy, and it really is heartbreaking.
Hugs to anyone who has to care for a child with any disability. It's not easy.
And the ones in which the child will never be able to function in normal society are gut-wrenching.
LuvOrlando, I see what you're saying. It has to be the most painful thing to spend all of these years working with your son's disability only to face the reality that he may never be able to function normally.

You misunderstand, my son is not mentally ill, neither of my children are. I mentioned my son simply to illustrate how young a child can be when they reach adult size. However, i do have a good deal of mental illness in my family which is why I am sensitive to the issue, possibly overly so.

 

[ChrizJen]

You misunderstand, my son is not mentally ill, neither of my children are. however, i do have a good deal of mental illness in my family which is why I am sensitive to the issue.

Yep! I misread. Sorry.

 

[LuvOrlando]

The poor grandmother who was raising her 4 Bi-polar grandchildren totally got to me. How on earth she does it is a mystery to me. She said her 3 1/2 year old grandson was trying to take care of his 3 younger siblings.