Expert: Joyce A. Anthony - 12/12/2007

Question
Hi, We adopted my daughter at 5yrs old.  She has had issues at home and school with mood, hyperactivity, attention problems and has been quite a handful.  She is now 15 and has come so far but now is being bullied at high school and is failing most classes. There was so much drama with other girls that we moved her to learning center which is more independant studies. Now we have just found out she is failing that because she is not doing all her work. She was on Zyprexa for 2 years but that made her very tired and she gained weight and it did not seem to help her mood, switched to Abilify 5mg-10mg. which seems to really help her mood, but it gives her insomia. We also give her Trazadone 50mg to help her sleep.  We see a psychologist 2 times a mo.

Answer
Hi Janet:

I'm not sure what the exact question is, but I was wondering if you have thought of homeschooling your daughter?  There are also alternatives such as a cyber-school where she could stay home and take her lessons online.

Often a bipolar child can't handle the stress that a "regular" school program brings.  They spend so much time and energy trying to survive each day, that they have none left over to learn.

I would suggest looking into alternative schooling programs that would allow your daughter to avoid the bullying and learn at her own pace.  So often, these children really thrive in such a program.
               Joyce A. Anthony