I don't know how much longer I can handle this bipolar issue.

wow, this is a fantastic post, and a very tough situation you are in. Don't the docs have anything better to do than put him on medication? Is he recieving some sort of therapy? If no, I would say he needs to be. Also, how does your husband/the father handle things? Maybe, and this is harsh, but maybe you two should consider some career changes--so that perhaps you can get a little bit of a break now and then, so that the father can spend some time at home with the kids, and so the boy can have a male nurturing/disciplinarian figure around. Sometimes kids go through "phases", but I am afraid for you and your family, because if this behaviour isn't squelched soon it could become, as you are all too well aware, dangerous for all of you. Nip it in the butt, ASAP.

My eldest had some mental health issues too. It's so hard on everyone in the family. At his age, getting the right medication is even harder. What works for him now may not work in a few months as normal hormone changes occur. We tried lots of things with varying degrees of success. One of his things was going into his room & just throwing everything he owned against the walls. He expressed an interest in fish one year, so for Christmas I bought him a huge fish tank & allowed him to decorate it & buy the fish for it. He never threw stuff in his room again because he valued that tank. If that hadn't worked, it would have been a huge mess! I also taught him how to mediate.(Could just as easily be teaching him to pray if your religion doesn't approve of meditation.)Suggesting that he meditate when he was just starting to meltdown would sometimes help. But once he was in full-blown temper tantrum, it wouldn't do anything. Don't lose faith. Your son is inside of that person you see losing control. It may not seem it, but inside he's just as lost, confused & scared as what he's projecting to you & your family. Switch docs if you're not seeing good results. Even a great doctor isn't going to be a great match for every child.

I understand what you feel at that very moment..but you have to be more patient on him and try understanding him more..any mischief he had done , try resolving it in a peaceful way as much as you can ..let him understand about the mistakes he have done in a soft voice..maybe he wont react much.

God Bless you..you have a tough job, Mom...this is such a sad disease but can be controlled eventually. Do you have the phone number of the psychiatrist for these outbreaks? Perhaps the medications need to be re-addressed and dosed differently. I feel so badly for you and your family...and you DO have to take some of his threats seriously. Some bi-polar people act out those irrational thoughts..you really need to see if the Dr. can see him soon and discuss this with him..Is he responsible for his own medications? Does someone watch him take them and check his mouth to make sure they are swallowed? This may seem paranoid but is very important as many bi-polar people begin to see their medicines as bad and they avoid taking them which only makes the situation worse... Please try to call the Dr....he should have emergency plans for you and you should follow them..when these things get out of control you are no longer dealing with a rational human being...I don't say this to scare you..but to warn you of the reality of the situation. The proper medication dosage is vitally important and can change the lives of all involved...with children growing and chemicals changing in their lives so fast sometimes things have to be evaluated more often...Even if things are better tomorrow these things need to be reported to the physician so he knows what is going on...Best to you all...You are in my thoughts and prayers...

Sweetie, it sounds to me like it is either that he is not on the right meds or that he is not actually bipolar, but something else. Perhaps you can talk his doctor into putting him on something else as a trial for a little while. Make sure they keep a watchful eye on his kidneys and liver. Out of pure curiosity, what meds are he on?

Yikes! I can only imagine how hard this must be for you. That definitely does sound like a manic episode due to the bipolar. Does he have episodes like this very often? Does he seem to have certain things that trigger it? I will have to agree with the other commenters though. It sounds like he does need to have his medication adjusted. Had he been on this one very long? Maybe it has stopped working? I know some people can become adapted to their medication and it virtually stops working. My mom has CFS and every few years it seems she has to have hers changed so she will be able to function again. Some other questions. Does he do well in school? Do you know if he is having problems with any of his classmates? Any of the teachers? It might be a good idea to visit his school one day an talk face to face with his teachers to see if maybe there is something going on that he hasn't shared, like conflicts with others. It sounds like your family is very spiritual. Perhaps some spiritual guidence might help? Like maybe from a priest or similar spiritual leader for your families beliefs. If he thinks God hates him, then that has to be tearing him up inside. But I can see how easy it would be for him to feel like God hates him. It's hard to witness someone going through these episodes on the outside, but it is hell having to live through them. It would be easy to see it as a curse from God. Don't give up hope! ::hugs:: You are strong, your family is strong. You will get through this together and come out stronger for it.

I have been doing alot of research on this subject due to a recent diagnosis I had. I also suffer from PTSD and severe depresion. My doctor reccommended the book Why Am I Still Depressed? by Dr. Jim Phelps, M.D. He has a very informative web site that you should also check out. www.psycheducation.org. It will help explain many issues that you have and information on things to talk to your doctor about. Please check this out. I know that my worst times are when I am under extreme stress and when I was going through a very bad divorce. I had an abusive situation and my ex was terrorizing my on a daily basis. Good luck and check out that website!

I decided to answer this post because all of my life I have suffered severly from Bipolar Disorder. No one can ever understand exactly how it feels to have to deal with this mental disease, not even the psychiatrists who study it but have never actually dealt with it's cripling episodes. When I get episodes it's as if I black out and I barely remember what happened, what I said...it's scary sometimes. After years of therapy and meds, I finally found the meds that work for me and keep me stable. There's no easy way to deal with it hun.

I do have to agree with a few others here and say that it sounds like either his meds aren't the right ones for him or there is more going on then just bipolar. I've been bipolar all my life, so has my sister and my niece who is 12 is bipolar as well. I've never seen that violent of a behavior in any of us. Not to that extreme. It could be his medication is making him worse or he has more wrong then just bipolar. You should get in touch with his doctor. Do not put it off please. We had problems with my niece with medications making her worse and it was a nightmare because the doctor kept canceling appointments. We finally got her meds adjusted and she's been doing really good since. If you don't mind my asking what medications do they have him on?

I feel for you and all of your children. I am at a loss as to what to do besides talk to the doctor. I have a website that I think might help a little. It is about getting your mads/angies out.Here is a link: http://www.angriesout.com/ This has lots of info for you and your son. I have a girl in my troop who had a problem for a while of being angry all the time. I printed pages from here to help her, maybe they can help ya'll too. This link: http://panicdisorder.about.com/cs/shanger/a/angerhelp.htm has lots of links to other helps as well as an article. I hope you can get something to help your family. You are all affected by this and it might be a good idea to ALL see a therapist or counselor.

I'm so sorry that you're going through this. Looking after three children at any stage is tough, let alone one who has mental health problems. I read what you said about your husband looking to hopefully make a career change or get a job where he's home more often than now, and thats good. But I think you need a break in the short term, till that change can be made. Is there any way that your son would be comfortable staying with a trusted family member for the night so you have a chance to relax and re-energize? In the long term, changes will have to be made though. Simply having your son sleep out one or two nights a week won't work well for long. Is it possible that his medication could need to be changed? I've heard sometimes that certain medications can make some children worse. And also it might be an idea to try counseling for your son too. As he gets older, he will get better. At 12 years old, his body is also starting to go through the changes of puberty and you can almost guarantee that is contributing to the severeness of these fits. I wish you and your family the best of luck in working with your boy to overcome these rages.

Jesus Christ I will pray for your son tonight. That sounds like more than bipolar. The medications that they put children on have them acting worse believe it or not. When your son acts like that u say in the name of Jesus I take authority over you demons...Leave my child immediately. At night when he is sleep lay your hands on him and speak life. Say things the way you would like him to be i.e....you are stable, smart, obedient...ect..God Bless you

You should check out www.mdjunction.com, it's a health discussion forum and they have a bipolar support group. You could join and have him speak to those their, we could probably help him a little. He could feel that no one understands him. Who better to listen and help himthrough something than other bipolar patients, atleast I consider myself fine, compared to before.

We raised a relative's child from the age of 5 1/2 to 10 1/2. Support groups were few and far between, we both worked full time and we had a teenage son. The child had full blown ODD. Therapists did not really help in that case, the psychiatrists seem to just throw pills, try this, try that. There are some pills that will have the opposite affect - it is immediate though, thank goodness I was home to see it and stop the medicine. It got so bad, I had to call the police, the child was bigger than me, partially from the medication. You mentioned you didn't want to "push him off on a relative, that he is your responsibility." Remember, please, what I had a hard time accepting (and no relatives capable of helping at the time either), that a child is really everyone's responsibility in one sense, and we ALL need help and your getting help so you can both rest and give your other children a moment of mommy time at peace can help prevent them from having more problems of their own. In our case the child went back to the dad in another country. . . it did not get a lot better, but there was more involved. However, a coworker had a teenage son exhibiting the same behavior and in desperation took him 5 hours away to a doctor of naturopathy, who ran many tests and found the teen had many undiagnosed allergies, changed his diet and turned the child around. I do not know the long term, but more and more they are finding connections to diet and disease. . . tp://www.pandamedicine.com/medicine.html We did not have the money to pursue it and those relatives who did just turned their head. My heart is there with you all. (One way relatives could help besides giving you a break from your son is to give the other children a trip for a few hours, perhaps individually, so they can feel special, too. Also, if relatives could do research for you so you don't have to spend so many hours on it. . . . Just a thought.)

Our sons sound so alike, Nelly. I am afraid to leave my 12 yr old son alone at home with his 15yr old sister, for fear that he will get upset and do something to hurt her or himself. I will only leave them alone for an hour, maximum, if he is having a very good day. My son is currently not on any meds, as we are on a waiting list to get in to see a psychiatrist to prescribe them. We've tried having the family doctor prescribe them in the past, with very bad results. My son's rages are just like those that your son has. My son is afraid of god and the police because he feels that he's a bad person. Does your son hallucinate (visual or auditory)? This is something that you might want to ask him. My son has hallucinations and hears voices that "tell him to do bad things". The doctors don't feel that it's schizophrenia, thought. I see that your son can take pills (my son can't). Have you looked into Omega3 supplements? Do a bit of internet research and you will find lots of information that Omega3 supplements seem to help children with bipolar. I wish I could try it with my son, but I can't figure out how to give it to him when it's not in a pill form.

Are you sure he is actually TAKING his meds? My experience with bi-polar clients is that when they are in the manic phase they don't want to take the meds. They like the feeling of power they have when they are manic. They say the meds make them dull and lazy and that they feel terrific when they don't take them . . . until they get deeply depressed. It is difficult to keep them motivated to take their meds no matter how they feel. If you are having to work and your husband isn't there, there needs to be a way to moniter his taking of the meds. Maybe the school nurse, a neighbor? I really feel for you. Parenting is difficult enough with "normal" kids. Adding bi-polar to the mix really puts it over the top.

Nelly don't really have any advice for you on this matter as haven't really had any experience of children who are bi polar - all can say is I will keep you in my thoughts and prayers and I hope that things improve for you all soon! xxx

Ok so I'm bipolar mixed which is actually worse than normal bipolar and much more common... I might even be able to help you... what is he on? What he on could have a lot to do with the fits especially if they seem to stand around anger... if you dont want to post meds on here private message me and maybe I can help you with that... also how many is he on? and what do the doctors say these pills do? was he diagnosed with bi-polar or bi-polar mixed (they may be similar but with so many differences) looking forward to hearing from you and hope I can help

to cope with the bipolar issue,first you should scheme you time of day,rest well for us is need,if we are always tired all day,we will can,t have strong energy to handle things,time is fast gone,and health is also important to us,in order to keep health and energetic,we should scheme time well.

Eliminate sugar from his diet. For further information, consult a professional nutritionist.