Bipolar Teens Support Group

My wife and I are guardians of our niece, Liz. She was diagnosed a few years back with bipolar. She was doing real good until around June of last year. she started making some real bad decisions, like liking an 18 yr old boy (she was just 14), hanging around with a 20 yr old girl, going out the window, meeting people while we slept in my garage and tearing it up, and then she started cutting. She has been in an acute hospital 4 times since December. The therapist suggested residency for her. Her doctor concured. Thru a period of investigating the residency we found out we could not afford the co-payment so we let it go and she was released from outpatient at the hospital. We brought her home and it wasn't 2 weeks before she told a cop she wanted to commit suicide. Back into the acute hospital and we really had to to do some serious soul searching and praying that God would bring us an answer about the money needed to get hher in residential. We finally received a loan from a friend for it. we still had some problems to get worked out and it wasn't real pretty. we also didn't want to tell Liz about it. I was afraid she would run away from home. Finally on April 16, just before she went to residency the staff at the acute hospital told her. She was upset but she went along with everything with no problems. She can only have visits on Saturday and Sunday, 2 phone calls a day, one in and one out. for the first 2 weeks she would call us and be very demanding and bossy. We told her if she wants to be demanding we would hang up. She would then turn to somtething else. She would constantly complain about the food there. hey are teaching her DBT (dialectical behavior treatment) It must be working because she has been very different for the last week. When we went to see her she produced a painting for my wife. She has been hugging us when we arrive and when we leave. The bigest thing are the three words I Love You. It is a 2 hour trip to see her, but it is worth every dime. They say she won't be out until 8/31, unless the insurance people force her out. I just hope and pray that when she gets back her she doesn't fall back into the same rut.

Guncle

Shes lucky to have you guys to help her past several years we've been through same stuff our daughter and I know majority of time in hospitals and in out pt programs she was one of the few that had parents or family most were in foster systems.Mines in right now again and I wish she could stay their she does so much better for the most when in and they can do things we cant.

Lisa

She has had 2 hospitalizations since her days at residence. She is a handful. We are thinking about back to residential. We also have been asked about Wilderness. We have a lot to think about. I wish she would use her DPT more.