The Bipolar Child: The Definitive and Reassuring Guide to Childhood's Most Misunderstood Disorder (Revised and Expanded Edition)

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Summary: A must have book!
Review: This book should be handed to every parent of a child with Bipolar Disorder at the time of diagnosis. Dr. Papolos gives a wealth of information and hope. If you buy only one book about Bipolar Disorder in children, let this be the one.

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Summary: A must read for anyone who cares for a "problem child"
Review: Ever learn a new word, and then in the next week you see it in everything you read? As a practicing pediatrician in a small comminity, by necessity I treat and care for a large number of children who are diagnosed with ADD/ODD. I had often wondered why some of the kids just never responded well, and in spite of what looked like appropirate management, continued to "stay in trouble" in school. That was the case until a friend of mine who practices behavioral medicine recommended this book. My eyes were opened to a new world, and the answers came. I saw that there were bipolar children all around me (approximately 1/4 to 1/5 of children diagnosed with ADD/ODD are bipolar). My treatment protocols changed, and the results that I achieved did as well. There are children affected by this disorder all around us, and they seriously need help. The real beauty of this book, besides the thoroughness with which the topic is handled, is that it is written for the lay person, but is equally educational and informative for the practicing physician. When I suspect bipolar disorder in my patients now, I recommend that the family invest in this excellent book, read it, and tell me if they feel that their child meets the criteria as explained in the book. Together we are more able to arrive at an accurate diagnosis, and valuable office time is spared from my trying to explain a very complex disorder to the family, as they are already well informed. If you are the provider of mental health services to children, or if you are the parent of a child diagnosed with ADD/ODD who just is not "getting better" on whatever medications he/she is taking, give yourself the gift of this outstanding book. The rewards are unbelievable.

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Summary: Grateful Mother
Review: This book is Bible to any family who has young children with Bipolar Disorder. I have two children (6 & 11) who are Bipolar Disorder with Psychosis, and I am raising them on my own. This book help me understand the diagnosis a whole lot better, and to understand my children better, too. The my daughtr,youngest one, rages for hours at a time, whereas my son gets violent during the time he is raging. This book help me to understand on how to work with my children during their rages and how to re-guide them if I saw a rage coming on, and to explain to the school system about their behavior and how to work with them. If you are at your wits end and don't know a whole lot about what is going on with your child, this book will see you through it. This book also gave me alot of web site pages to look up further information and addresses of places and people to contact for support. Don't hesitate to pick up this book and let it start helping your family

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Summary: A Difinitive Source for Bipolar
Review: As a professional therapist I am so excited to have found and read this book. Bipolar disorder is, many times, difficult to diagnosis. Patients may go from doctor to doctor, therapist to therapist, trying to find out just what's wrong with them or their child. This book will add so much to both the professional and the everyday person. It's descriptions of symptoms were clear, consise and right on. The authors should be commended for their honesty whe it comes to medicaion and their possile effects. So many people diagnosed with this disorder feel so alone because they don't understand it. This book wll bring them understanding and comfort knowing they are not alone and help them to come to terms with their life long illness. It is "must" reading for anyone who has a family member or friend with his illness. Parents who have struggled for years trying to figure out what is wrong with their child may find this book as a stepping to the right medical doctor nd he correct treatment plan. I have purchased this book for one of my client's family and it has significnatly changed their lives.

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Summary: Answers questions you didn't even know you had
Review: I can't say enough to recommend this book. "The Bipolar Child" can make you knowledgable enough to ask the right questions and find the right treatment to help your child. I facilitate a parents' support group, and the book has been a Godsend to some of the parents. Especially helpful are the comparisons to other disorders (ADHD, depression, opppositional defiant disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, etc.)--plus the comparisons between adult and childhood symptoms. These comparisons make this book a good overall book for anyone who wants to learn more about mental illnesses.

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Summary: An invaluable lifevest
Review: There's no life "saver" for living with a bipolar child - the illness doesn't miraculously disappear with diagnosis - but this book is a "lifevest" to guide parents through the roiling and unfamiliar waters of a disease that is only now being acknowledged by doctors. Until the publication of "The Bipolar Child", there was no comprehensive literature available to parents to learn about this disorder. The Papolos' book is easy to read, crammed with useful information and perhaps most importantly, gives the reader a sense that he or she is not alone. I have recommended this book to many people whose children suffer from all sorts of problems, since the medical community has been slow to recognize bipolar disorder in young chiuldren. Several of those people have been amazed by how the stories of children in this book parallel their experiences, despite the fact that their childeren have been diagnozed otherwise. This book is not just a must for parents of bipolar children - it's a must for parents!

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Summary: THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!
Review: Thank you, Dr. and Mrs. Papolos, for helping to restore my sanity. Your book gives me the answers to all of my hundreds of questions and points me in the right direction in so many areas. My 16-year old son was diagnosed with early onset bipolar disorder a year before this book came out, and I had been close to "losing" it while trying to figure out how to manage my son's illness. There had been no place or person who could pull it all together for me. This book gives families of children with bipolar disorder the information they need to be in control and to understand what needs to be done in terms of available treatments, education, insurance, etc. I'm praying that health care providers will read this book too! Then, maybe thousands of other children won't have to suffer for 10 years (like my son did) before they're diagnosed and properly treated. One note to other readers: I discovered that an extremely valuable website referred to in the book for the Child and Adolescent Bipolar Foundation has changed to Bpkids.org.

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Summary: Excellent! On a par with "The Scarred Heart"
Review: This is an excellent and useful book -- one of a handful of really first rate books on troubled children. I'd put it on a par with Dr. Helen Smith's "The Scarred Heart" -- especially as it, too, has many specific helpful suggestions along with general information that helps the reader understand what is going on in these kids' heads.

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Summary: WE ARE NOT ALONE
Review: This book has helped me understand & realize that our 11 yr old grandson never had a chance in life than to be bipolar. I hope that people w/share their findings regarding the drug/alcohol illness experienced by the parents & grandparents before they decide to bring a child into the world, or understand & watch for the signs of this illness if they do. It has helped both my husband & I to see in print what we have been experiencing for the last 11 yrs. Thank you for an excellent book.

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Summary: Validation for the first time.
Review: This book provided me with validation for the first time in the 9 years of my son's life. It helped me to understand that I am not alone in what we are going through and that I am doing a "good job" as a mother. For years I was told by friends, parents, and my husband that my son's behavior was fine and that I "just couldn't cope with it". This book has so much information to help with the Bi Polar child. It is a "must read" for any parent dealing with this illness.