Graceunderpressure
New Member
Hi just want to introduce myself. I found this board the other day. It sounds like I would fit in here. My daughter was 14 when all the crap hit the fan. She started drinking, drugs, running away, has put us through hell in about 14 months. She is currently detained in juvenile detention for chasing me with a blow torch made of aerosol hairspray and torch lighter. She was arrested Nov 12 and we are hoping for court ordered Residential Treatment Center (RTC). Our insurance only pays 60 days a year and we have exhausted them for this year and she needs more than 60 days. So we are hoping for court ordered Residential Treatment Center (RTC) of about 6 months at least.
In the past year she has run away at least 5 times, each time she has no destination but ends up in the ghetto and worst areas and prostitutes, does meth, gets tattoos, etc. She even jumped off the roof in one of the instances about 13 feet and shattered both heels and was non weight bearing for 3 months in this past 14 months. She has been in out of state Residential Treatment Center (RTC) (San Marcos) and 2 visits to behavioral centers this past year.
Diagnosed bipolar 1, which I think is super accurate and ODD maybe. She was always difficult but never out of hand until about age 14. It hit us very fast and hard and made our heads spin. She is so up and down, but is currently on Lithium which is helping. She's tried Abilify and Risperdal. Abilify made her pace the house 12 hours a day, Risperdal made her lactate. She likes Lithium and it seems to help, but probably not enough.
Anyway, she probably won't be home for Christmas, last Christmas she was in a wheelchair so I knew she was safe. It sucks. But I am seeing where she is finally taking some responsibility for her actions. I hope it sticks. My biggest fear is when she is 18, I am hoping there is time while we still have some control to get her well. She is smart and I know she is capable of living a normal life with medications, therapy, etc. But she has to want it. If she continues on the destructive path I fear she will die or end up in prison.
No questions, but I appreciate being able to share my thoughts and story with everyone. It's nice to know I'm not alone. It's hard to understand mental illness. But in our case there are 2 other cases of bipolar on husbands side. So we feel it's genetic.
In the past year she has run away at least 5 times, each time she has no destination but ends up in the ghetto and worst areas and prostitutes, does meth, gets tattoos, etc. She even jumped off the roof in one of the instances about 13 feet and shattered both heels and was non weight bearing for 3 months in this past 14 months. She has been in out of state Residential Treatment Center (RTC) (San Marcos) and 2 visits to behavioral centers this past year.
Diagnosed bipolar 1, which I think is super accurate and ODD maybe. She was always difficult but never out of hand until about age 14. It hit us very fast and hard and made our heads spin. She is so up and down, but is currently on Lithium which is helping. She's tried Abilify and Risperdal. Abilify made her pace the house 12 hours a day, Risperdal made her lactate. She likes Lithium and it seems to help, but probably not enough.
Anyway, she probably won't be home for Christmas, last Christmas she was in a wheelchair so I knew she was safe. It sucks. But I am seeing where she is finally taking some responsibility for her actions. I hope it sticks. My biggest fear is when she is 18, I am hoping there is time while we still have some control to get her well. She is smart and I know she is capable of living a normal life with medications, therapy, etc. But she has to want it. If she continues on the destructive path I fear she will die or end up in prison.
No questions, but I appreciate being able to share my thoughts and story with everyone. It's nice to know I'm not alone. It's hard to understand mental illness. But in our case there are 2 other cases of bipolar on husbands side. So we feel it's genetic.
