Homeostasis. A state of balance within the
body.
As is pertains to child development, it
almost seems like a contradiction! It is difficult to
differentiate the onset of mental health
symptoms from normal childhood tantrums and
mood swings. Therapists hesitate to label
children too soon.
This was the case for my son, Chip. He came
to us, a four year old foster child, whom
we later adopted. He was a ball of energy!
He’d been prenatally affected by drugs and
alcohol. He had been severely neglected and
abused. After years of hard work with him,
he began to settle down. But about every 30
days, he’d get a wild look in his eyes and
succumb to a knock down, drag down,
meltdown. After three hours of kicking,
screaming, hitting, and threatening, he’d
slump into my arms, sobbing until he was
shaking uncontrollably. Through his tears,
he’d apologize to me for his rage and cry,
“What’s wrong with me, Mom?”
Six years and 72 rages later, he was
diagnosed with bipolar disorder. We took him to a
psychiatrist, who ordered a baseline EEG.
The results were abnormal. We started him
on medicine and gradually increased the
dosage. We held our breath at the 30 day
mark. The rage came, but the duration and
intensity wasn’t as bad. 60 days. No rage.
We dared to hope. 90 days, still no rage.
120 days, 150 days. No rage. Stabilization.
When he reached puberty, we noticed the
return of mania. We consulted with his doctor.
A slight dosage increase did the trick. 13
years ago, the social worker told me that Chip
might never be “normal.” Today, he is a high
school senior, who volunteers as a Police
Explorer. He is considering taking
