Our teenage son was recently diagnosed as having bipolar disorder. As a family, we are still in the early stages of learning about his illness. How common is this disorder? What books or other resources can you recommend so we can find credible information to better understand this illness?

According to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, up to one-third of the estimated 2.3 million children with depression in the United States may actually be experiencing the early onset of bipolar disorder. Symptoms may be difficult to recognize in children because they can be mistaken for age-appropriate emotions and behaviors of children and adolescents. That’s why a thorough and accurate assessment is so important. Educating your entire family about this illness is certainly a step in the right direction to increase the likelihood of successful management of symptoms. Here are several resources other parents have found helpful.  

• Acquainted with the night: A parent’s quest to understand depression and bipolar disorder in his children by Paul Raeburn.
• The bipolar child: The definitive and reassuring guide to childhood’s most misunderstood disorder by Demitri Papolos, MD, and Janice Papolos. Often referred to as “the bible” by parents of children with bipolar disorder.
• Survival strategies for parenting children with bipolar disorder:  Innovative parenting and counseling techniques for helping children with bipolar disorder and the conditions that may occur with it by George Lynn.  Gives advice on how to recognize the symptoms, navigate the daily challenges, and find the necessary support at your child’s school. 
• The ups and downs of raising a bipolar child:  A survival guide for parents by Judith Lederman and Candida Fink.  Written by the parent of a child diagnosed as bipolar, with the assistance of a psychiatrist, this book offers such tips as coping with teens who get into legal trouble, talking to siblings about the child’s disorder and other essential advice.
• Bipolar Child Newsletter: www.bipolarchild.com.newsletters   Articles written for parents and educators about new developments in the field of early-onset bipolar disorder and the medications used to treat the condition.
• Child & Adolescent Bipolar Foundation (CABF) at www.bpkids.org  If you’re interested in having your child participate in a research study, check out the Research and Clinical Trials link to find out if anything is happening in your region.  CABF also offers more than 20 online support groups for parents, a directory of in-person groups divided by state, a listing of doctors, and much more.
• Juvenile Bipolar Research Foundation (JBRF) www.bpchildresearch.org  Highlights include a bipolar screening inventory, information on new research, and an educational forum for parents, educators, and other professionals to promote a better understanding  of the educational challenges that confront children with juvenile-onset bipolar disorder. 

LaDonna Haley
Program Director
Mental Health Association of Greater St. Louis
314-773-1399
www.mhagstl.org

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