mstang67chic
Going Green
I have this question rattling around in my head and I'm not quite sure how to word it. Please know though that I'm asking this in the interest of my son and I mean no offense at all.
My son was diagnosed with BiPolar about 6 years ago (although I have papers from evaluations before we adopted him stating that diagnosis from a few years prior) and also has ADHD.
He's going to be 17 in a couple of months, is still basically a freshman in HS, has no job and has never had one, has issues with stealing (either outright or "messing" with our stuff in our house), lying, accepting responsibility and is basically operating on the emotional and maturity levels of a 10-11 year old. There is also a lot of the grandiose thinking and ideas. I'm starting to look into getting him signed up for any kind of services I can for when he turns 18 but I'm not sure what he's going to qualify for. He seems to be caught in the middle; not functioning enough to be totally independant but not low functioning enough to easily qualify for services.
Honestly, I'm not even quite sure what my question is. I guess I want to know two things. (And I do realize that every person is different and has different issues and motivators) 1) If you had BiPolar (BP) as a child or adolescent, was there any type of program (Residential Treatment Center (RTC) or otherwise) that helped and 2) Was there anything as a young adult that helped you with living skills or understanding what you needed to do to live on your own. Like I said, I know everyone is different, I guess I'm just grasping at straws to get help for him to function as an adult. Of course, anything I find will depend on if he actually does it. In addition to everything else, there's such an attitude of entitlement for him. I know some of it comes from him being in foster care for most of his life (i.e.: I'm special and have my own special rules, etc.)........I just don't know. I know at some point I will have to let him follow his own path, whatever that may be, but I'm still not ready to stop, I guess. He's had so much counseling over the years that he could hang his own shingle but when it comes to actually applying all that he's learned to his own life.....never happens. Of if it does, it's only for a very short time and then he thinks that's enough.
I know this post is probably just some long pointless ramble and I'm sorry. It's just that we're coming down to the wire of being able to get him services and I don't know what's going to happen when we come to his 18th birthday. I don't want him to wind up on the street or in jail as an adult but I also realize that, for him, it's a distinct possibility. I hope some of this makes sense. Like I said, I'm not sure exactly what it is I want to ask but I'm grabbing for straws at this point. Thanks for listening.
My son was diagnosed with BiPolar about 6 years ago (although I have papers from evaluations before we adopted him stating that diagnosis from a few years prior) and also has ADHD.
He's going to be 17 in a couple of months, is still basically a freshman in HS, has no job and has never had one, has issues with stealing (either outright or "messing" with our stuff in our house), lying, accepting responsibility and is basically operating on the emotional and maturity levels of a 10-11 year old. There is also a lot of the grandiose thinking and ideas. I'm starting to look into getting him signed up for any kind of services I can for when he turns 18 but I'm not sure what he's going to qualify for. He seems to be caught in the middle; not functioning enough to be totally independant but not low functioning enough to easily qualify for services.
Honestly, I'm not even quite sure what my question is. I guess I want to know two things. (And I do realize that every person is different and has different issues and motivators) 1) If you had BiPolar (BP) as a child or adolescent, was there any type of program (Residential Treatment Center (RTC) or otherwise) that helped and 2) Was there anything as a young adult that helped you with living skills or understanding what you needed to do to live on your own. Like I said, I know everyone is different, I guess I'm just grasping at straws to get help for him to function as an adult. Of course, anything I find will depend on if he actually does it. In addition to everything else, there's such an attitude of entitlement for him. I know some of it comes from him being in foster care for most of his life (i.e.: I'm special and have my own special rules, etc.)........I just don't know. I know at some point I will have to let him follow his own path, whatever that may be, but I'm still not ready to stop, I guess. He's had so much counseling over the years that he could hang his own shingle but when it comes to actually applying all that he's learned to his own life.....never happens. Of if it does, it's only for a very short time and then he thinks that's enough.
I know this post is probably just some long pointless ramble and I'm sorry. It's just that we're coming down to the wire of being able to get him services and I don't know what's going to happen when we come to his 18th birthday. I don't want him to wind up on the street or in jail as an adult but I also realize that, for him, it's a distinct possibility. I hope some of this makes sense. Like I said, I'm not sure exactly what it is I want to ask but I'm grabbing for straws at this point. Thanks for listening.