My family has a history of being bi-polar, my father was the first to actually get qualified help. About 5 yrs ago I discovered I too am bi-polar, some days I just loose it. My son who is now 18 was being degraded by a teacher and instead of doing phsyical harm he went into a convulsive fit of nerves, we had to have him hospitalized and he's now on meds. Which have just been adjusted. The problem is he has tried to get a job but can not retain information under stressful situations, so he usually lasts a day or two, then he either has to quit or they fire him as a safety hazard. He has talked about signing up for disability, which gets him about 600.00 a month in this state, I can't help but worry how is he going to survive on that for the rest of his life? The doctor's have told us that when there seems to be a genetic factor that the symptoms occur earlier and worse with the next generation. Is this true?
Last edited by Geneticbipolar; 07-10-2005 at 07:49 PM.
18 isn't really early for a bipolar diagnosis; in fact, the late teens and early twenties are the most prevalent time for BP to spring up. In children with early-onset bipolar disorder, it seems that there is an extremely heavy genetic link, meaning both sides of the family have bipolar disorder, maybe even both parents. Genetics does seem to play a role in developing BP disorder, but nobody knows why yet. I'd say if your son was diagnosed at 18, and he didn't show signs early on, that he was at an average age for becoming bipolar. I've never heard of the theory that the next generation would possibly develop bipolar earlier on, unless of course, both sides have it. It just sounds to me that he developed it at a normal age, with both his grandfather's genes and yours playing a role. Good luck and God bless!
-GatsbyLuvr1920-
__________________
"Not everything that steps out of line, and thus 'abnormal,' must necessarily be 'inferior.'"
-Hans Asperger
Has your son tried stress reduction techniques? This in addition to therapy and meds might help him cope better on the job which could reduce the possibility of forgetfulness and help him have more staying power in the working world.
One thing I've noticed about myself is that I used to be hung up on perfection in everything I did to the point of making myself physically ill and paralyzed by fear that I won't do anything right. It took many years and a lot of meditation and other stress-reduction activities to get me to a point where I just roll with things and don't get hung up on minor flaws with my work.
However, it is necessary to mention that a lot of people with BP have had spotty career histories. If he's able to adapt to change, he might consider short-term temp assignments. There are no benefits with these jobs, but you get the advantage of not being at any job long enough for them to figure out how lousy you might be
Don't give up on your son. It's just a matter of changing perspective and looking at what's within his control to improve.
Thank you for your replies, Z the problem is he was registared with a workforce type agency now they just keep giving him the run around, and I believe they are dicriminating. They can say all that politically corrrect stuff, like they hire people with disabilities, but they also leave room to side step having to hire you. Luckily I've had my job for 17 yrs. can't say I'm used to the stress, and sometimes it get's to me, but at least I was already there, put documentation in on my disorder, so I couldn't be pentalized. If I had to start from scratch I'd probably melt down. Every time he gets rejected he feels worthless and just wants to give up. Then my father and I get together and between the both of us get him into a positive situation. He was just getting into copping skills with his consuler when he decided he didn't need to finish high school (3 more months) and took off for another state. It has been a rollercoaster ride. My husband says he uses the disorder as an excuse. I sometimes wonder when I try to explain what's going on in my head and he rolls his eyes if that's what he thinks of me. By the way there is bipolar on my husbands side also, his sister has it also. Thank you all for being here and for just listening!!
Thank you for your replies, Z the problem is he was registared with a workforce type agency now they just keep giving him the run around, and I believe they are discriminating. They can say all that politically corrrect stuff, like they hire people with disabilities, but they also leave room to side step having to hire you. Luckily I've had my job for 17 yrs. can't say I'm used to the stress, and sometimes it get's to me, but at least I was already there, put documentation in on my disorder, so I couldn't be pentalized. If I had to start from scratch I'd probably melt down. Every time he gets rejected he feels worthless and just wants to give up. Then my father and I get together and between the both of us get him into a positive situation. He was just getting into copping skills with his consuler when he decided he didn't need to finish high school (3 more months) and took off for another state. It has been a rollercoaster ride. My husband says he uses the disorder as an excuse. I sometimes wonder when I try to explain what's going on in my head and he rolls his eyes if that's what he thinks of me. By the way there is bipolar on my husbands side , his sister has it also. Thank you all for being here and for just listening!!
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