General Information

Education & Classroom Accommodations

Michigan Resources, Support Groups, Listservs & Websites

National Resources & Websites

Articles Related to this Disability

Medical Information

back to the top - back to disability topics - report a bad link

Bipolar disorder (also known as manic-depression) is a serious but treatable medical illness. It is a disorder of the brain marked by extreme changes in mood, energy, and behavior. Symptoms may be present since infancy or early childhood, or may suddenly emerge in adolescence or adulthood. Until recently, a diagnosis of the disorder was rarely made in childhood. Doctors can now recognize and treat bipolar disorder in young children. Visit http://www.thebalancedmind.org for more information.

What is an Emotional Impairment?

DEFINITION OF EMOTIONAL DISTURBANCE: Many terms are used to describe emotional, behavioral or mental disorders. Currently, students with such disorders are categorized as having a serious emotional disturbance, which is defined under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act as follows: "...a condition exhibiting one or more of the following characteristics over a long period of time and to a marked degree that adversely affects educational performance--

(A) An inability to learn that cannot be explained by intellectual, sensory, or health factors;

(B) An inability to build or maintain satisfactory interpersonal relationships with peers and teachers;

(C) Inappropriate types of behavior or feelings under normal circumstances;

(D) A general pervasive mood of unhappiness or depression; or

(E) A tendency to develop physical symptoms or fears associated with personal or school problems." [Code of Federal Regulations, Title 34, Section 300.7(b)(9)]

As defined by the IDEA, serious emotional disturbance includes schizophrenia but does not apply to children who are socially maladjusted, unless it is determined that they have a serious emotional disturbance. [Code of Federal Regulation, Title 34, Section 300.7(b)(9)]

It is important to know that the Federal government is currently reviewing the way in which serious emotional disturbance is defined and that the definition may be revised. Source: Fact Sheet 5 (FS5)
January 2003, National Information Center for Children and Youth with Disabilities. You can view this fact sheet at http://www.nichcy.org/pubs/factshe/fs5txt.htm.

back to the top - back to disability topics

Symptoms and Accommodations for the Bipolar Student: http://www.bpchildresearch.org/edu_forums/accomodations.html

back to the top - back to disability topics

Together In Love Triumphant Bipolar Support Group - Informational and emotional support for those who have been directly or indirectly affected by Bipolar Disorder. Meetings are held the 2nd and 4th Tuesday's of the month at St. Peter's Lutheran Church, 123 South Seventh Street, St. Clair MI 48079. for information phone Brenda (810)300-4948 or for directions phone Karen at (810)329-2174.

Jackson Depressive/Bipolar Group meets every Tuesday from 2-3:30 pm and Wednesdays from 7-8:15 pm at the rear of the Lifeways Building, 1200 N. West Ave. Contact Lesia. 517-780-3384

Novi Depression/Bipolar Group meets 1st and 3rd Wednesdays from 7:30-9:30 pm at the Providence Medical Center/Providence Park (47601 Grand River) in conference room B. Contact Vicki. 248-960-1288

back to the top - back to disability topics

Featured Resource: Depression and Bi-Polar Support Alliance - The Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA) is the nation’s leading patient-directed organization focusing on the most prevalent mental illnesses – depression and bipolar disorder. The organization fosters an understanding about the impact and management of these life-threatening illnesses by providing up-to-date, scientifically-based tools and information written in language the general public can understand.

www.thebalancedmind.org educates families, professionals, and the public about pediatric bipolar disorder; connects families with resources and support; advocates for and empowers affected families; and supports research on pediatric bipolar disorder and its cure.
 
The Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA) is the nation’s leading patient-directed organization focusing on the most prevalent mental illnesses – depression and bipolar disorder. The organization fosters an understanding about the impact and management of these life-threatening illnesses by providing up-to-date, scientifically-based tools and information written in language the general public can understand. DBSA supports research to promote more timely diagnosis, develop more effective and tolerable treatments and discover a cure. The organization works to ensure that people living with mood disorders are treated equitably.
 

Georgia Childhood Bipolar Foundation - GCBF is a support group for parents of bipolar children. We provide daily support through our email listserv at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/gcbf-support.  We also have monthly meetings at Hillside Hospital in Atlanta on the 3rd Saturday of each month. We have occasional professional speakers. We are working to bring a early-onset bipolar convention to the Atlanta area in the Fall of 2003. Join with us in this exciting time!

back to the top - back to disability topics

Bipolar Disorder in the News - Cynthia Power has been bipolar since she was 18. Peter Armetta has had the disorder most of his life, too. Both say that it's a cruel, complicated mental illness, but also that it can be controlled and life can be good.
 

Parents of Bipolar Teenager Reach Out to Others - When two teens return to school after hospital stays, one student is greeted with colorful welcome banners and hugs all around. The other student observes friends duck behind locker doors so they don't have to talk to him.

MI Desiree Cooper: Bipolar Teen and Family Win The Struggle For Peace - Outside Cindy Lang's Brownstown Township home hangs a wind chime of crystal angels, a talisman against the violence and abuse that raged indoors for three years.

Moody Kids -- Normal or Not? - For some children, bipolar disorder could be the culprit. Consider this scenario: At 8 a.m. your 12-year-old is so irritable and hard to wake you nearly have to drag her out of bed, dress her and roll her on a skateboard to make the bus. By 11 she’s a prodigy, delivering the most poignant speech her sociology teacher has ever heard on the civil rights movement. At 2, though, her English teacher claims she’s the class clown, refusing to sit still and focus on her assignments. And by bedtime she often acts as if she’s downed a gallon of espresso.

Young and Bipolar - Once called manic depression, the disorder afflicted adults. Now it's striking kids. Why?

back to the top - back to disability topics

The Child Bipolar Questionnaire (CBQ) - The Juvenile Bipolar Research Foundation is pleased to offer parents and treating physicians a concise screening inventory developed by JBRF director of research, Demitri Papolos, M.D. The CBQ is a reliable and sensitive indicator used in current JBRF-sponsored studies. However, only an experienced diagnostician with a full understanding of the child’s family history, as well as the symptoms and behaviors that the child exhibits, is qualified to make a diagnosis of bipolar disorder.

Bipolar Disorder, Schizophrenia Key Found - A stress-activated molecule underlies many of the symptoms of some mental illnesses, a new study shows. We control our behaviors, thoughts, and emotions via an important part of the brain: the prefrontal cortex. People with injuries to this part of the brain become impulsive, distractible, and have poor judgment. Major damage to the prefrontal cortex can cause thought disorders and hallucinations.

www.ConductDisorders.com - A website created by parents raising challenging kids, all of them oppositional and resistant to parenting. The onsite description: "We use many different methods and treatment plans with a variety of results. We have found that there isn't a "magic bullet" but we are always looking and supporting each other along this journey. We are parents who are committed to helping our children grow and flourish and survive their childhood. It is our goal for our website to be a "soft place to land for the battle-weary parent." You will be amazed at the number of suggestions offered and the amount of support given. We even manage to have a few laughs along the way! My advice is to take what you need, offer what you can, and leave the rest."

back to the top - back to disability topics