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I am looking for advise on how to get the best treatment for my step son in Florida. He has been diagnosed with bipolar disease and is also using drugs. He is causing himself so much self harm and we are helpless to do anything about it. His mom and I live in Australia and are not sure of what the laws are about getting someone committed for treatment over in the US. My wife actually travelled back to get a court order to have him treated however it appears to have done no good as the police say they are unable to take him anywhere. We would like something done before its too late but what do we do. He is tearing the family apart and slowly killing his grandmother who has serious heart problems and is trying to help him.
We would really appreciate any advice from people that know how to deal with these problems and also are aware of how to get someone treated in Florida. I am desperate to get him the treatment he should have got so long ago. I know here that if you are a danger to yourself they will lock you up but I am not sure of the laws over there.
My kid has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, too. Luckily, we live in the greater Boston area, and the child psychiatry unit at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) leads the country in this area. I CAN tell you it's tough to get one's kid into the MGH programs... and whenever we have our appointment, seems the previous family is coming from all over the country... Texas, Nebraska, Illinois, etc....
The guy who's leading the charge on pediatric bipolar disorder is named Joseph Biederman.... a shrink at MGH, but he's got a team of doctors there who are all very gifted. They're all professors at Harvard Medical School, too, fwiw.
But a couple of options I can think of... if you are inclined to make the trek.... give MGH a call. As I said, they have people coming from all over the country... which also suggests there's a lot of people striking out in getting help all over the country. I can say they are the ONLY ones who have had any success at all in helping our son. And they basically saved our marriage, as last year we were so stressed out as a family over our son's behavior that divorce was a real possibility.
Here is the home page for the pediatric psychopharmacology unit at MGH. I would call the Fresh Pond location on the Alewife Brook Parkway in Cambridge. That's where Biederman's office is, along with Janet Wozniak and the others who all work with Dr. Biederman.
The other option would be to call Dr. Biederman and ask him if he has any local doctors he could refer you to. As I said, he's probably the leading authority in the country on pediatric bipolar disorder. If he could provide a good local referral, that's probably the best you're going to do short of traveling to Boston.
Why are you trying to raise a child, thinking that you know his every detail, from thousands of miles away?
You have no idea of his day to day feelings, dealings, wants, fears, etc.
Why is he not with you, or why are you not with him?
Being a parent is damn hard. Even if you are 20 feet away. 24/7 you keep an eye on them, to protect, to guide, to nurture, to allow them thoughts. People turn their backs for 10 seconds and their kid ends up face down in the pool. And you try to do it from thousands of miles away.........
My kid has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, too. Luckily, we live in the greater Boston area, and the child psychiatry unit at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) leads the country in this area. I CAN tell you it's tough to get one's kid into the MGH programs... and whenever we have our appointment, seems the previous family is coming from all over the country... Texas, Nebraska, Illinois, etc....
The guy who's leading the charge on pediatric bipolar disorder is named Joseph Biederman.... a shrink at MGH, but he's got a team of doctors there who are all very gifted. They're all professors at Harvard Medical School, too, fwiw.
But a couple of options I can think of... if you are inclined to make the trek.... give MGH a call. As I said, they have people coming from all over the country... which also suggests there's a lot of people striking out in getting help all over the country. I can say they are the ONLY ones who have had any success at all in helping our son. And they basically saved our marriage, as last year we were so stressed out as a family over our son's behavior that divorce was a real possibility.
Here is the home page for the pediatric psychopharmacology unit at MGH. I would call the Fresh Pond location on the Alewife Brook Parkway in Cambridge. That's where Biederman's office is, along with Janet Wozniak and the others who all work with Dr. Biederman.
The other option would be to call Dr. Biederman and ask him if he has any local doctors he could refer you to. As I said, he's probably the leading authority in the country on pediatric bipolar disorder. If he could provide a good local referral, that's probably the best you're going to do short of traveling to Boston.
Shuke is right on the money on this one! The psychiatrists he mentioned at Mass. General Hospital are the best in the country in terms of treating bipolar disorder in adolescents.
One of the difficulties that people are up against is not having access to good resources. Perhaps a first step would be to have your child's pediatrician made a referral to someone locally, in Florida. The medications that are available in treating bipoloar d/o can be highly effective. As well, there are numerous mental health agencies that would have the capability to treat your son on a "systemic" level; meaning that they would assess/evaluate/create a treatment plan that encompassed his social skills, level of functioning, medication compliance, family dynamics, etc.
If you don't have insurance, then my suggestion would be to find a mental health agency that will accept patients on a sliding-fee scale basis.
Unfortunately, the local police cannot and will not do anything to help you. The sad reality is that unless your son's behavior/acting out escalates to a level that requires police intervention, there is nothing they can do. Even IF you son's symptoms resulted in actions that warranted police intervention, it is unlikely that their intervention would result in your son's obtaining the help he needs.
I work with adolescent kids who are in long term, chronic care in a psychiatric hospital. While I certainly cannot determine whether your son requires hospitalization, I can tell you that you need to research the various options that you have available in your area. Feel free to pm me if you like.
treatment for my step son in Florida. He has been diagnosed with bipolar disease and is also using drugs.
1- Who diagnosed your son? (Are you sure he has a d/o of bipolar disorder?)
2- Was a referral made at the time of diagnosis?
3- Did anyone put together a treatment plan as a result of TWO DSM diagnoses, namely, bipolar d/o and substance abuse?
4-Who is over seeing his care now?
5-Was there any follow through after his initial diagnosis?
6-Who is the guaurdian? Does he reside with someone who has legal gaurdian status? (You cannot manage a person's treatment/follow through from such a vast distance away. The time zone differences alone make it virtually impossible for a physician to talk with you...)
7-Is he over 21?
My kid has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, too. Luckily, we live in the greater Boston area, and the child psychiatry unit at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) leads the country in this area. I CAN tell you it's tough to get one's kid into the MGH programs... and whenever we have our appointment, seems the previous family is coming from all over the country... Texas, Nebraska, Illinois, etc....
The guy who's leading the charge on pediatric bipolar disorder is named Joseph Biederman.... a shrink at MGH, but he's got a team of doctors there who are all very gifted. They're all professors at Harvard Medical School, too, fwiw.
But a couple of options I can think of... if you are inclined to make the trek.... give MGH a call. As I said, they have people coming from all over the country... which also suggests there's a lot of people striking out in getting help all over the country. I can say they are the ONLY ones who have had any success at all in helping our son. And they basically saved our marriage, as last year we were so stressed out as a family over our son's behavior that divorce was a real possibility.
Here is the home page for the pediatric psychopharmacology unit at MGH. I would call the Fresh Pond location on the Alewife Brook Parkway in Cambridge. That's where Biederman's office is, along with Janet Wozniak and the others who all work with Dr. Biederman.
The other option would be to call Dr. Biederman and ask him if he has any local doctors he could refer you to. As I said, he's probably the leading authority in the country on pediatric bipolar disorder. If he could provide a good local referral, that's probably the best you're going to do short of traveling to Boston.
Thank you so much for the details. We will follow it up from here. I appreciate you taking the time to post the details.
Why are you trying to raise a child, thinking that you know his every detail, from thousands of miles away?
You have no idea of his day to day feelings, dealings, wants, fears, etc.
Why is he not with you, or why are you not with him?
Being a parent is damn hard. Even if you are 20 feet away. 24/7 you keep an eye on them, to protect, to guide, to nurture, to allow them thoughts. People turn their backs for 10 seconds and their kid ends up face down in the pool. And you try to do it from thousands of miles away.........
I am sorry you feel this way. Our child is in fact almost 29 years of age and lives on the other side of the world because he has a family of his own and chooses to live where he was born and has most of his family. Also with his issues Australian law will not permit him to come here till he is cured.
Shuke is right on the money on this one! The psychiatrists he mentioned at Mass. General Hospital are the best in the country in terms of treating bipolar disorder in adolescents.
One of the difficulties that people are up against is not having access to good resources. Perhaps a first step would be to have your child's pediatrician made a referral to someone locally, in Florida. The medications that are available in treating bipoloar d/o can be highly effective. As well, there are numerous mental health agencies that would have the capability to treat your son on a "systemic" level; meaning that they would assess/evaluate/create a treatment plan that encompassed his social skills, level of functioning, medication compliance, family dynamics, etc.
If you don't have insurance, then my suggestion would be to find a mental health agency that will accept patients on a sliding-fee scale basis.
Unfortunately, the local police cannot and will not do anything to help you. The sad reality is that unless your son's behavior/acting out escalates to a level that requires police intervention, there is nothing they can do. Even IF you son's symptoms resulted in actions that warranted police intervention, it is unlikely that their intervention would result in your son's obtaining the help he needs.
I work with adolescent kids who are in long term, chronic care in a psychiatric hospital. While I certainly cannot determine whether your son requires hospitalization, I can tell you that you need to research the various options that you have available in your area. Feel free to pm me if you like.
Thank you for taking the time to post details here. I appreciate it.
1- Who diagnosed your son? (Are you sure he has a d/o of bipolar disorder?)
2- Was a referral made at the time of diagnosis?
3- Did anyone put together a treatment plan as a result of TWO DSM diagnoses, namely, bipolar d/o and substance abuse?
4-Who is over seeing his care now?
5-Was there any follow through after his initial diagnosis?
6-Who is the guaurdian? Does he reside with someone who has legal gaurdian status? (You cannot manage a person's treatment/follow through from such a vast distance away. The time zone differences alone make it virtually impossible for a physician to talk with you...)
7-Is he over 21?
Our son has been diagnosed with bi-polar by medical experts and no plan was put together. We have been trying to get him treated but keep hitting brick walls. Thankfully he has got himself into a de-tox centre which is a start I guess. At least he has admitted he has a problem and is trying to do something about it. He is actually 29 years and does not have a guardian. I thank you for taking the time to post a reply.
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