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Has anyone read, Madness: a Bipolar Life?
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<blockquote data-quote="seriously" data-source="post: 447582" data-attributes="member: 11920"><p>Haven't read that book but I don't read a lot of those types since I am BiPolar (BP) myself. Kay Jamison's book is from an adult perspective and seemed very clinical to me, which makes sense since she is a psychologist.</p><p></p><p>My personal experiences may or may not apply to your son. And I wouldn't expect you to find anything that's going to help you a lot - not many 10 yo boys write let alone are able to even say what it's like inside their head.</p><p></p><p>You say you want to understand what he's thinking. Do you have a more specific thing you want to know? That might be a better way to approach things.</p><p></p><p>What would you do with the information if you were able to "know" what he's thinking?</p><p></p><p>Do you want to know if he's scared? Confused? Worried?</p><p></p><p>Do you want to know if he perceives you the same way you perceive him?</p><p></p><p>Are you looking for reassurance that he will be OK in the long run?</p><p></p><p>Are you seeking information about BiPolar (BP)?</p><p></p><p>It is an unpredictable illness in my experience. You can be stable for a long time and then be very unstable.</p><p></p><p>Self-knowledge and knowledge about the illness are essential tools to successfully manage and these are not things a 10 year old will have in large quantities.</p><p></p><p>My best advice is to prepare for the worst but expect the best. As much as possible, keep normal expectations for him and assume that he is capable of much more than he seems to be at any given time.</p><p> </p><p>Preparing for the worst means doing things like having a will with a special needs trust for him should you and your husband die and he is unable to manage on his own as an adult or will need some public assistance.</p><p></p><p>Expecting the best means you act as if he can do everything all the other 10 year olds are doing - and you are going to treat him (as much as possible) as if he IS a normal 10 year old boy.</p><p></p><p>You cannot know what it is like inside his head and he may never really be able or willing to tell you.</p><p></p><p>But you don't really need that information to help him grow into a strong, capable adult. </p><p></p><p>Not sure if that was any kind of answer but it's the best I can give right now.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="seriously, post: 447582, member: 11920"] Haven't read that book but I don't read a lot of those types since I am BiPolar (BP) myself. Kay Jamison's book is from an adult perspective and seemed very clinical to me, which makes sense since she is a psychologist. My personal experiences may or may not apply to your son. And I wouldn't expect you to find anything that's going to help you a lot - not many 10 yo boys write let alone are able to even say what it's like inside their head. You say you want to understand what he's thinking. Do you have a more specific thing you want to know? That might be a better way to approach things. What would you do with the information if you were able to "know" what he's thinking? Do you want to know if he's scared? Confused? Worried? Do you want to know if he perceives you the same way you perceive him? Are you looking for reassurance that he will be OK in the long run? Are you seeking information about BiPolar (BP)? It is an unpredictable illness in my experience. You can be stable for a long time and then be very unstable. Self-knowledge and knowledge about the illness are essential tools to successfully manage and these are not things a 10 year old will have in large quantities. My best advice is to prepare for the worst but expect the best. As much as possible, keep normal expectations for him and assume that he is capable of much more than he seems to be at any given time. Preparing for the worst means doing things like having a will with a special needs trust for him should you and your husband die and he is unable to manage on his own as an adult or will need some public assistance. Expecting the best means you act as if he can do everything all the other 10 year olds are doing - and you are going to treat him (as much as possible) as if he IS a normal 10 year old boy. You cannot know what it is like inside his head and he may never really be able or willing to tell you. But you don't really need that information to help him grow into a strong, capable adult. Not sure if that was any kind of answer but it's the best I can give right now. [/QUOTE]
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Has anyone read, Madness: a Bipolar Life?
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