Sher Porter
News Editor
It is hard enough raising three children, but when two of them have been diagnosed with a chemical imbalance the task becomes even harder.
Kate McLaughlin, author of “Mommy, I’m Still in Here: Raising Children with Bipolar Disorder,” presented her findings and experiences with bipolar disorder at the University of La Verne Bookstore April 25. About 20 people were in attendance.
“If you could snap your fingers and make it go away, would you?” McLaughlin said.
McLaughlin is a wife and mother of three children, two of which have been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. They were both diagnosed at young ages with adolescent bipolarism and still deal with the disorder as they enter their 20s.
Bipolar disorder usually occurs in teenagers and young adults. The exact cause of bipolar disorder is unknown. It could be caused by hereditary problems, hormone levels, the shapes and sizes of certain sections of the brain or a chemical imbalance in the brain.
Those who have it are characterized by having drastic mood swings between being depressed and manic, which are referred to as episodes.
The four main types of episodes are depression, mania, hypomania and mixed mood.
“We just need to give our doctors enough information so we can fix it,” McLaughlin said.
McLaughlin said one in every four families is affected by bipolar disorder.
Her family is one of them.
McLaughlin’s oldest daughter, Chloe, has a more severe case while her son, Michael, is less severe, but Michael has shown the most resistance toward treating himself.
Both of her children would periodically stop using their medications because of the effects it would have.
Some symptoms from using medication would be drooling, hair loss, weight gain, acne and liver and kidney complications.
Chloe would be more receptive to using her medications, while Michael would stop using those drugs and start drinking and using illegal drugs like heroin to feel better.
Of bipolar patients, 80 percent of them have drug and alcohol issues, McLaughlin said.
She does not treat those children any different than her daughter, Monica, her undiagnosed child. She does let them live at home because they are in their 20s and she does not make them take their medications. In her eyes, they are adults.
Most of her presentation consisted of answering questions from the audience.
Many of them had questions about the symptoms, medications and behaviors of someone with the disorder. Her research along with her personal experience helped answer the questions.
The Parodi family came because they saw an advertisement about it in the Daily Bulletin.
Daughter Cassandra Parodi has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder for four years and the father, Chuck Parodi, recently found out about it.
Cassandra Parodi was glad she came because the lecture helped her parents to understand what she was going through.
“ (I) try to understand her ups and downs for the things she does,” Chuck Parodi said.
McLaughlin did let everyone know that people suffering from bipolar disorder can live normal lives. Her daughter is considered permanently disabled, but she is married.
“ If you work on it, there is an end,” McLaughlin said.
Sher Porter can be reached at sporter4@ulv.edu. |
