I Have Two Nieces That Are Sisters, Both Girls Have Been Diagnosed With Bipolar Disorder. They Have Both Been In And Out Of The Hospital Several Times And For Lenghty Stays One Is 13 And The Other 14 The Younger One Cuts Herself And The Older One Hears Voices.what I Would Like To Know Is This Something That Runs In Families Usually? I Have Three Children No Sign Of Mental Illness My Older Sister Does Have Mental Illness And So Does The Mother Of These Two Girls. My Concern Is These Girls Are Still Having Major Problems Even On The Medications I Fear That The Younger One Will End Up Cutting To Deep Or The Older One Will Listen To Her Voices And End Up Hurting Someone. Does It Usually Take A Year Of Medication And No Results. I Am Not Sure What All Teh Diffrent Meds Are But I Do Know They Both Take Lithium Along With Other Stuff, They Are Both In Special Schools Because They Could Not Make It In Regular School. Is There Anything Anyone Knows Of That Would Hlp Stop There Behaviors? Any Info Would Be Appreciated.

hi,
firstly bipolar is genetic (my father has it and ive recently been diagnosed myself) but that isnt to say everyone in that family will inherit it, my sister doesnt have it and has never had any form of mental illness.
i believe i first developed bipolar at around the same age as your nieces and i first attempted suicide/started self harming at 14, but i went undiagnosed for 10 years. As distressing as the situation with your nieces must be for you at least they have a diagnosis and are being treated with meds. With the meds its really a case of finding the right combinbation of drugs to control the disorder affectively, it can take years to find one that works for the individual and its really a case of trial and error. And meds is really the only thing that can control bipolar.
Are your nieces receiving any form of therapy? even though bipolar is genetic ive done a lot of research and some theories state that it can be caused by traumatic emotional experiences in childhood. This isnt to say that this applies to everyone, as bipolar is, at the end of the day, a chemical imbalance. But maybe some form of counselling could help them cope better with their bipolar as it is very hard to deal with at their young ages.
After 10 years of being bipolar and having many deeply unhappy years, i can say looking back that i feel much more secure now than i did at 14. as hard as this has been to cope with i feel much less "lost" now than i did back then. i also had to go to a special school but i still got my exams and worked round it the long way. i know a lot of it is about being a teenager and the ordinary insecurities that go with that, early teens are hard for everyone, let alone having to cope with bipolar too.but ive become stronger and been able to cope with this better as ive got older. and im sure your nieces will too. :angel:

Thank you for your reply, It is just that it is so frightening the things that are happening to them, they are both in counseling the younger one goes daily for about four hours a day to a program where they work with her, social services have been called out several times due to the things that are happening and the police have also be involed, I just wish there was a way to help them get through this with out all the harm they are in. Again thank you and I am glad to hear you are doing so good at least there is hope.

Hi,
Fallen Angel gave you a lot of good info so I wont dupe hers. Based on my own family history paternal/maternal on both sides of our families, this is what I've discovered.
The bipolar gene seems to be passed from mother to son, father to daughter, but that doesnt necesarily mean the mother or father has the illness just carried the gene. Bipolar is hard to dx and 20-30 years ago even more so. Im bipolar and so is my daughter but her is different, she used to cut herself in her teens I never have never did. As fallen Angel mentioned trauma can set it off. Unbeknown to me until my daughter finally admited at 18 she was mollested by several close family member I trusted, and now no longer speak to. Her cutting went on for a couple of years, she is now 22yr old and went thru several different meds before she find one that worked "tegretol", Our younger daughter 20yr is mild bipolar, she never experienced the problems in her teens like our oldest. However she has never admited or remember any mollesting. My husbands brothers all have daugthers and except for 1 they are also all bipolar. Hang in there, it took 3 years before our oldest daugther found the right med. For right now, learn all you can, these boards are an excellent tool, and support them, encourage them, and let them know your there for them. Good Luck, K

Thank you for your reply I do no htat the older of the two was sexually molested and had to go through the court system to get the man put in prison, the younger one has not, I guess there is alot more to this than I relized. Thank you for your help