Rating: 
Summary: A MUST HAVE!
Review: If your child has been diagnosed ADHD, ADD, ODD, Intermittent Explosive Disorder, etc - or, no matter what you do or how you handle it, your child comes UNGLUED at the littlest thing...READ THIS! This book is a MUST HAVE for every parent, caregiver, physician, etc. of an unexplicabley raging, irritable, or oversensitive child. It is essential even if a child has never had a bipolar diagnosis. The Papoloses have thoughtfully and carefully put the puzzle together for many children, who could have forever been wrongfully diagnosed with a plethora of other dx's. The book explains in detail: symptoms, treatments, parent testimonials, and scientific findings for this illness, all written in a very easy to read and follow format. The Bipolar Child has become my guide in uncovering the mysteries of raising my child. It has opened up new and encouraging possibilities in treatment, and given me a way to take an educated stand in my child's diagnoses and treatment. Janice and Demitri Papolos have a sensitive, caring, and intelligent approach-and will venture where many doctors won't go, all with the well-being of our children in mind. They are professional in their findings and thorough in their reports. I encourage you to get this book, it will forever change the way you see your child!
Rating:
Summary: Been There, Wished My Parents had the Book
Review: If you're bi-polar or have on of us in the family, please read this because we really don't mean to hurt others and we want to be understood. We are pretty accurately depicted here, so you'll probably see your bi-polar person represented. My parents never had this kind of information and it could have been unbelievably useful. Please read this wonderful book--it will help your entire family.
Rating:
Summary: When Your Epectatations and Reality Don't Match
Review: I read this book with some scepticism at first, because I am an old hand at reading "theories" about children and "neurobiological disorders" at this point, and also because I myself am bipolar. I checked first with my psychiatrist to see if in fact this condition really does exist: he affirmed that it does. Apparently, I, like so many other people, am out of date in my knowledge of the existence of early onset bipolar disorder.As it is critical to your child's well being and future health to get a proper diagnosis of such a serious condition, this book can be very helpful. It contains a list of resources at the end that are worth their weight in gold alone. Furthermore, there are apparently, according to the authors, quite a few misdiagnosed children out there who are being treated with the wrong medications and the sooner they get helped on their way to the correct ones the more stable their health will remain. This is imperative as this disorder must be treated with medication. This book also addresses the state of the family as a unit; this is vitally important as, when raising any child, you must consider the whole family and the feelings of any one member at any given time. The stress from having a bipolar child is extreme. Suggestions are given that are helpful to ameliorate this. Always, always, a respect for and an affection for children comes through in this book. As the authors guide you through the confusing maze of terms like "IEP'S", "IDEA", "hypomania",and others, you can be certain that it is being put as clearly as possible. If you aren't ready for some of it at one point, it is waiting for you there when you are. There is hope for children with this disorder and there is an incredible network of parents out there online who have been where you are, according to the Papoloes. This is not a "win/lose situation". It is a growing process, for your child and for you, I learned. There is great comfort to be found in this book as it unfolds, and a lot of good hard information. A good job on a complex subject.
Rating:
Summary: The Holy Grail for Parents of BiPolar Children
Review: This was an eye opening book for me. I am the mother of a teenager recently diagnosed with bipolar disorder. So many of the symptoms listed seemed like personal idiosyncracies. I found the chronological path of potential diagnoses as well as the many medication trials that accompanied them enlightening. It is hard to get such complete information on this topic and I found myself riveted.
Rating:
Summary: Very comprehensive
Review: In the process of researching on mood disorders, I came upon this book. It is an extremely readable, comprehensive, informative work on this disorder in childhood. It tells you what to do, where to go, how to create a notebook of info on your child for people who will be working with/teaching him. It helps you with resources & organizations that may be able to help. This book tells you what to do step by step, along with providing first-hand accounts of parents who have dealt with this issue. It is a must-have if you suspect you have a bipolar child or know someone who does, or just want to be aware of this largely unexplored illness.
Rating:
Summary: EXCELLENT! Leading edge research! Explains the puzzle!
Review: Every piece of the puzzle about my child from birth till today is explained in that book. For those with a bipolar child, you get many momments of "AHA! " as another piece of the puzzle falls into place. NOBODY can relate to what it is like to deal with a child with Early-Onsert Bipolar Disorder, and no one can truly understand... except others who have been there. This book, although it does not go into detail about what to do day-to-day in order to survive while the child goes through months or years of trying to get the right pharmaceutical mix required to stabilize them, at least let's us know what to expect, and provides resources for us to get support, and behavioural techniques which can be useful (it suggests reading "The Explosive Child" by Ross Greene, and gives a support list URL, and websites). It explains the pharmaceutical maze, genetic maze, and even provides a practical IEP. I thank the Papoloses from the depths of my soul for this enlightening book. It should be mandatory reading for every Child psychiatrist... and for every pediatrician as well.
Rating:
Summary: THIS WAS THE GIFT & INSIGHT ANSWERED FROM A MOTHERS PRAYES
Review: I'm a single mom with a 12 year old BIPOLAR/ADD child. Its been an overwhelming and exhausting search for answers when this manic disorder began manifesting itself through my sons behavior 6 years ago. And as frustrated as I was to learn more about it & what to do, so too were teachers, PDoc's, family members, and most of all my son. For, he couldn't understand what was making him feel & act different from others, nor why he had no self-esteem, or friends, and why there weren't many happy childhood memories for him to recall. Then hope came. I was given a copy of "The BiPolar Child" by Dr. Papolos. Page by page I found insight, practical information, solutions to try ...... and comfort ..... Best of all these were words also came from other parents like myself. Their personal stories were touching & they melted my fears of feeling alone, which is the case for anyone coping & dealing with the day to day tribulations of a childhood bipolar disorder. I now give copies to my son's school, babysitter, grandparents, and anyone else interested in helping my son. Its a very compassionate book for caretakers dealing with a very uncompassionate childhood disorder.
Rating:
Summary: This book is a gift from God
Review: As the mother of a 10 year old child who has juvenile bipolar disorder, and who has read everything written on the disorder, including esoteric medical journals which I barely understood, I can honestly say that this book is superior. It deals with the problem from every perspective, medical, social psychological, parental/ It gives great comfort and great advice. I bought 6 copies and gave one to everyone who deals with my son on a regular basis.
Rating: 
Summary: Opening the door to understanding. . .
Review: Finally a book that dealt with many of the problems we have been struggling with for over 7 years. Our son has been in therapy since age 3 for ADHD, OCD, ODD, etc. When he was recently diagonised with Bipolar, the information available was limited. While it helped us understand a lot of the "why's", we still haven't found anything that helps prevent, control, or assist with the rages. While this book addresses those issues, I'm still looking for a doctor or book willing to be straightforward and answer the difficult issues we face daily.
Rating:
Summary: Rosetta Stone
Review: The Papalos' have given us a rosetta stone for understanding and surviving life as the parents of a bipolar child. The Bipolar Child is an answered prayer,a compelling companion and a bright light in an otherwise desolate field.
|
