gav_73

Hi pt,

All I can say is that I was probably bipolar from a very young age and ended up quitting school in the 10th grade. However, the circumstances under which I did so I feel were a direct response to situations unique to my life, not just being bipolar. I went from living with a very strict dad and step-mom who weren't very nice to me, where I was constantly grounded and never was allowed to leave my house or hang out with friends, to living with my mom, who didn't talk to me very much and was never home and thus let me do just about anything I wanted to do and didn't seem to care. I hated my new school, didn't have any friends, and then the friends I did make did drugs and skipped school all the time. My dad had totally stopped talking to me when I chose to leave and didn't speak to me again for almost 5 years - no birthday or Christmas calls, nothing. I was extremely hurt and angry at just about everyone who was supposed to love me. On the other hand, they probably were at their wits end, too.

I finally ran away and quit school and really didn't suffer any consequences for it. No one really seemed to care. My mom did, one time, send the police to where I was, who brought me home. I just left again, this time, never to return home.

I've often wondered if it was some sort of test to see if my parents would care enough to discipline me or stop my self-destructive behavior. After all, I was bipolar, and I was depressed, confused, hurt, angry, rebellious, etc. I had up to that point tried to commit suicide twice from the age of 12 and my parents never tried to get me any help, only made me feel silly for doing something so stupid for attention. All of these these things led up to my quitting school, so I can't give you any real or meaningful advice or input on what is going on with your child. But I can say that I wish more than anything that my parents had found a way to stop me from trying to ruin my life, and that includes dropping out of school. I ended up going to college, obtaining and master's degree, and graduating honors from both universities, but it was exponentially more difficult because what was review for others was cramming and learning from scratch for me in most of my undergraduate core courses. I had no educational foundation, which made it very, very difficult to get through my first couple of years. However, in looking back, I can't say that any one thing my parents could have done would have stopped me at that point. I was too far gone by that time. The only thing that would have made a difference is love, compassion, and understanding, none of which I felt I had. Just by you being on here seeking help is more than I had, so you're on the right track. Maybe you could talk to her teachers, therapist and school counselor if you haven't already.

Good luck and I hope this helps in some way.