Bipolar and Boundaries with 18 year old son?

Hello. Anyone experienced with bipolar issues? I have a son who was recently diagnosed as bipolar. This explains some things. Now, I can see where some of his behavior comes from. However, I cannot excuse his behavior.

He's had problems with the law, steals from us, and abuses drugs and alcohol. My wife and I gave him until the 9th to find a place to stay and/or enter rehab. On the ninth, we will take him to the steps of rehab, tell him we love him, and tell him that he cannot come home until he completes rehab. And then drive away.

I feel I need to do this. Nothing else has worked with him and he continues to cross boundaries, break the law, abuse drugs, and influence his siblings. He is a smart young man and if he makes the right choices then I think he will make it. However, the bipolar mental health issue still confuses me. Even though I think I am doing the right thing I would like to hear from an experienced person and professional.

Blessings

Yes, my wife and I both feel we need to do this.

ok he should be taking his meds regularly- slleping regularly. and get a group therapy session started as soon as possible. u need to do this even tho he is 18 yrs old.u also need to confer with his dr on a regular basis. and have a theapist follow his progress.

You are doing the right thing, even if the rehab does not work, he will later thank you for caring enough to try to save his life....sorry to hear of the issues, parents get the worst of it all, dont they?

i have some of the same issues, but what you need to do is "break him". it sounds mean but it's the only way to make him stop. if you listen to the song "salvation" by the cranberries, you'll know what i mean.

Iam a professional mom yes it is the best thing you could do for him GOD BLESS and prayers to your family

I'm not really an expert on any mental conditions, including my own depression.

One thing I want you to consider is an old saying in AA.
What do you get when you sober up a horse thief? A sober horse thief. Getting him into rehab is one thing, having him want to change is another. I do hope that he does embrace his recovery, and that he finds out he can't do the same things over and over expecting different results.

Good luck.

You are doing the only thing that you can do at the moment. When he was diagnosed with the Bipolar disorder, did they give him any medication to help? If so, you need to make sure that he takes that medication. Be prepared, at some point he is probably going to stop taking his medication. Then, you are going to have a whole new set of problems.

I don't know your son, or what his behavior is...but I would do some research on the disorder and know where your son stands with it. The reason that I am saying this is because recently 3 members of my family were murdered by a friend of theirs that was bipolar. They totally trusted this friend, but he had stopped taking his medication. Educate yourself and be careful!

Your son doesn't seem to be suffering from being Biopolar. Someone who is bipolar has massive mood swings without the use of drugs and alcohol. The best way to deal with this situation is to take him to a doctor at a mental health hospital and have them re-evaluate the diagnosis. He might just be trying to reach out to you and doesn't know how. But by acting up he knows that you will show him some form of affection.....

you are doing the right thing it is called tuff love; i am bi polar and a retired therapist

When I was eighteen I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder.Are you sure your son has officially been diagnosed with manic depression?'Cos I can essure you that stealing money and breaking the laws have got nothing to do with the illness.These can be related to the drug abuse perhaps.Anyway if you have anything to ask about bipolar disorder you can ask it by yahoo messenger:zeynep_nazli_t@yahoo.com
wish you the best good luck to you and your son.