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Don’t Worry, He’s Only Manic
I hate getting “the call” from Tim’s RTC. “The call” is someone calling to say he’s been agitated / in a fight / hostile / depressed / raging / some other behavior that is unsafe or worrisome. I got “the call” yesterday about noon, telling me Tim had a yelling match with a classmate, the…
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Parents of Children with Bipolar Disorder and Childhood Onset Schizophrenia Tell Common Stories
I’ll never forget the day my son’s therapist told me he needed to be hospitalized. He was 11 years old and had spent his entire life vacillating between extreme happiness and extreme rage. He heard voices and saw things no one else could. Pediatricians and neurologists and developmental specialists had told us he was autistic. …
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Mental Health News
This week’s mental health news from around the interwebs that’s caught my eye: With Bipolar Disorder, Drinking Caffeine is Self-Medicating — Palm Beach Post Program Helps Father, Daughter, Overcome Mental Health Issues — Naples News A Mile In the Shoes of a Mentally Ill Person — Berkeley Daily Planet Mental Health Important for Children —…
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Teachable Moments
Someone praised me recently for being so understanding and patient with Tim and all of the symptoms and behavioral issues that go along with a diagnosis like Schizoaffective Disorder. I was not being modest when I replied that I’m anything but. Read the rest at CABF.
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16
Tim turns 16 years old today. There were times when I doubted he’d make it to his 16th. I know, I’m woefully behind on blog posts, and I want to spend some time this weekend writing a new one. But I didn’t want today to pass without a short note to all you other parents…
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Summertime
When I was a kid, summer was the time of year I most looked forward to. Does it get any better? No school, lots of daylight, warm weather, and little structure. I ran around like a banshee as a young child, hung out with my friends at the beach or the mall as a tweener,…
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The Backstory – Part Five
So Tim started his sixth therapeutic day school program at Metro Prep in Des Plaines. While we really liked the staff there, particularly Tim’s therapist and his one-on-one aide, Tim’s rages were getting more intense and more frequent. The school operated on a point system – get points for doing positive things, get points taken…
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The Backstory – Part Four
Ok – so tomorrow took a bit longer than I thought. Life happens. So – where were we? Oh yes – Tim’s first therapeutic day school in Illinois. Without naming it – but think of a musical starring Robert Goulet and you’ll get it – it was an unmitigated disaster. This program does great with…
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The Backstory – Part Three
Hell broke loose alright. Tim was put in a special ed class with a teacher that thought special ed meant that he just needed more time to do assignments. If he got up, she would get huffy with him. If he talked, she would reprimand him. After about a month of that, he couldn’t take…