Author Archives: Sheila Ellis

My Son Died Of COVID-19

As a mom, all I can care about is my child’s safety. That is why, after the outbreak, I did my best to keep my son away from the virus. I often watched the news to get the latest updates on how the virus is progressing. I thought to myself that if I have all the information I need, I will be able to protect my child from the disease.

Source: pexels.com

The Safety Measures

Since I thought I am well-aware of what is going on concerning the Coronavirus, I made it clear not to allow my child to all sorts of exposure. It is already hard for him to maintain better health due to his bipolar condition, and this pandemic made it worse. With that, I managed to teach him the essence of social distancing, and he obeyed every single reminder diligently. I made sure that my son always washes his hands every time he touched something. That is regardless if I already disinfected the item or not. I often told my son that prevention is better than cure. And since there is no cure yet to the disease, preventing the spread is our best option.

Source: pexels.com

The eagerness to protect my child didn’t stop there. I made sure that he eats healthy and nutritious food since I heard that the disease targets the immune system. I also encouraged him to exercise and work on some little physical activities from time to time. I let him play in the house, and sometimes do chores together with him. I also managed to motivate to sleep 8 to 10 hours a day. I was confident that with everything I know about the virus, I could protect my son at all costs. But I was wrong.

Source: pexels.com

The Painful Agony

It was on March 23rd when my son got a fever. Honestly, I was having thoughts about him getting infected, but I shrug it off. I was confident that I am following every single safety measure out there that can protect him from the virus. So I thought there’s no way it could happen. However, after a few more days, he asked me to get him tested. My son was certain that he was infected, but I didn’t buy it. I told my son that insisting on going to the hospital will make his situation worse since there are a lot of cases of infection in that particular place. But as I maintained my stubbornness, my son’s health continued to deteriorate.

It was April 6th, almost two weeks since he suffered from a fever. I went to my son’s room to check up on him because he was lying in bed for two days already. When I got to his room, I saw him gasping for air as he was about to open his bedroom window. At that particular moment, I knew I messed up. Then I ran towards my son and called 911. I immediately asked for medical assistance. After a few minutes, the help arrived.

Source: pexels.com

The Moment Of Truth

They took my son in an ambulance. As I was about to hop in, but the medical provider told me not to come because I wasn’t allowed. I was in a rage because that is my son’s life on the line. But the woman insisted that I should follow the social distancing protocol. I realized I would not win an argument against her, so I stayed. I watch the vehicle from afar, taking away my precious son.

After 2 hours, I received a call from the hospital. The woman on the line told me that my son is positive with the virus and didn’t make it. It was so emotionally and mentally painful. But the worse part, I wasn’t there with him even on his last breath.

In case of loss, feel free to go to BetterHelp. Talking to a licensed therapist is the best way to deal with grief.

Protected: A Short Guide To 3 Common Symptoms Of Bipolar Disorder In Children

This content is password protected. To view it please enter your password below:

Why Some Bipolar Adults Feel Anxiety Over Having Kids

Source: flickr.com

Being able to create a child is what most men and women consider as a blessing. It is of no relevance how the baby came to them, e.g., through adoption, natural conception, or in-vitro fertilization. Quite a few even think of surrogacy in case their bodies are incapable of carrying an infant in the womb. The procedure doesn’t come cheap, of course, but many look past that if it means that they will have an innocent angel to pour all their love to after several months.

Despite all that, there are still adults who try everything to avoid becoming a parent. Some have lame excuses, saying they are enjoying singlehood, they fear of not being a good example to the kids, et cetera. Others, however, opt for that because they feel anxiety over the thought of taking care of a fragile human being while dealing with an irreversible illness like bipolar disorder.

According to Kathleen Smith, PhD, LPC , “People with anxious distress often feel tense, restless, and have trouble concentrating because they worry so much.”

Below are the possible answers to the “Why?” that you may be dying to ask.

Source: flickr.com

  1. They Worry About Passing On The Disease

This appears to be the #1 issue of folks whose ailment does not have extensive documentation in the medical field. Since the doctors cannot figure out whether a person inherited the gene that causes bipolar disorder or he or she somehow developed it over time, many are afraid of passing it on to their future child. To thwart the probability of seeing their own flesh and blood suffer like them in the future, therefore, some of them even undergo sterilization.

Aarti Gupta, PsyD said “Some stress on a person is a normal part of everyday life.”

  1. They Won’t Have Time For Self-Care

Becoming a mom or dad is a physically, emotionally, and mentally taxing job. Although you likely have the capacity to get a nanny, a growing kid still needs their parent to look after them more than anyone. This fact, however, tends to discourage ill individuals from having children as they cannot leave self-care on the back burner.

Isn’t that selfish of them? Well, not really. Stress is a huge factor that throws someone’s life out of balance. If a person has a psychological illness that turns his or her mood upside down often, he or she cannot afford to deal with it. Thus, they end up forgoing the chances of nurturing a baby.

  1. Sleep Is Important For People With Bipolar Disorder

Aside from stress, individuals who have bipolar disorder will not be able to function correctly without getting enough shut-eye. As it is possible for them to experience mania, there may be nights in which they feel so energized, and they don’t seem to need sleep at all. Despite that, when the depression strikes, things can get problematic, to the extent that they may not even want to hold their child.

Laurie Meyers, LPC said “Sleep patterns are also instructive when looking for evidence of mania or hypomania.”

Like we’ve mentioned above, there is still no cure for this mental disease. Extreme mood changes will occur, especially since parenting requires skills and endurance. For this reason, they may choose to not go through motherhood or fatherhood in general.

Source: thebluediamondgallery.com

Nevertheless, it should not come as a shock that some individuals with bipolar disorder have kids. It typically happens when: 1) the person is not using birth control, or 2) the diagnosis took place a few years later. The choice, to be honest, is and will always be yours.

If you still haven’t decided on whether you should have children or not, try talking to BetterHelp psychologists. They can assist you in processing your emotions. Good luck!

What Therapists Say About Boosting Your Child’s Mood

A person with bipolar disorder has neurophysiological issues and is known to have severe mood swings.  Mood swings can go from being joyful, mania, to sadness and depression.   With the abnormal changes in behaviors, he can quickly get irritated that often leads him to be violent or depressed.

Source: commons.wikimedia.org

Continue reading

Why Did God Give My Child Bipolar Illness?

 

Source: pixabay.com

 

That is one tough question our church pastor found hard to answer according to him.

 

I really did not want to ask him this, but I just couldn’t control myself since it had seemed to sync in with his sermon.  So I took the courage to approach him and ask it anyway.

Continue reading

I Must Not Lose My Mind – I Have To Undergo Counseling 

Source: pinterest.com

 

Raising a kid is a challenging task, but raising a kid with bipolar illness is not only hardcore difficult but also complicated, demanding, exhausting, and sometimes frustrating.  Their mood is not usual, and their needs are not simple. It’s like you’re treading on a tightrope.    

 

According to E. Michael Priddy, MA, LCPC , “Therapists can provide a fresh perspective on a difficult problem or point you in the direction of a solution.”

  Continue reading

Art Therapy For Bipolar Kids: Expressing The Unspoken Words

Source: pexels.com

Understanding people with mental illness such as bipolar disorder is never an easy way, especially when it comes to children. It is painstaking to see that at a very young age, these children must deal with the struggle of dealing with feelings of worthlessness, hopelessness, and living on the edge, as they are stricken with depression, stress, and anxiety going through the course of bipolar disorder.

Continue reading

Discipline 101: Children With Bipolar Disorder

Disciplining per se is difficult. Finding the right strategy in combination with the appropriate level of strictness but still show love and affection is a hard formula to master. Imagine how hard it can be to discipline a child with a mental disorder which has the classical symptom of the shifting moods. This is where the challenge and the test of patience come in for families with children diagnosed with bipolar disorder. According to experts, the basic and the general blueprint for disciplining is still applicable to a child with bipolar disorder since mostly, they are children. There are just some modifications when it comes to specific methods since there should be accommodation and understanding of the condition.

According to John Preston, PsyD, “Bipolar disorder is probably the main psychiatric disorder where medication is absolutely essential.”

source: howcast.com

Continue reading

Psychiatrists Emphasize The Importance Of Sharing A Meal (Parenting A Bipolar Teenager)

Family status is complicated when you are raising a teenager diagnosed with bipolar disorder.  It has been complicated even before the diagnosis of all the irritations, separation anxiety, and tantrums.   But often when I would raise this concern to her pediatrician, he would tell me to let her be, she’s just a kid. And so that is what I did.   

 

Source: flickr.com

 

“Family members need to verbally compliment one another,” said Brent Blaisdell, PsyD.

 

Continue reading

How To Handle Grief And Loss

Source: pixabay.com

Grief and losses are normal occurrences in human experience, and no man is excluded from the emotions that go with it. Grief and losses are challenging, but certain situations that further intensify the response to these events such as mental health disorders, poor coping mechanisms, etc. People with mental health issues might aggravate their symptoms or even worse, a relapse of episodes. This is also applicable for children with a mental health disorder. For many of these age groups, it is challenging to handle loss because their facilities to process these experiences are still immature. On top of that, they still must handle the symptoms of the mental disorder without having access to online counselors from apps like BetterHelp.

Continue reading