It sometimes irritates me that people take away feelings of accomplishment when seeing such ostensible mental illness. The tricky ones are the smart depressives who destroy their life and their families life and then look for excuses because of their mental delusions,and then therapists with an untrained eye help them find the excuses. You of course, changed history with your understanding of nuances. Anyone looking for another Kramer masterpiece,they should read ''freud'' an outstanding book!

Having read the Newsweek article regarding Max, I have to say I have an enormous amount of compassion for Max's parents. They have every right to do whatever they feel is neccessary to give thier son a good life. Still, they can't expect society to also do whatever is neccessary to give thier son a good life or to understand his illness. Max's daycare had every right to kick him out as did the public school system. Life is very unfair and some people just aren't able to exist within the required societal norms. Hopefully Max and his parents will find a way to appreciate life from a different experience. Having a "normal" life isn't always the key to happiness. Max likely feels enormous pressure to fit in when he knows this is a near impossible task. Parents want thier kids to enjoy what they enjoy or what most people enjoy, and feel obligated to give them these experiences. Max's dislike of the feel of grass beneath his feet was portrayed as if somehow tragic rather than a personal preference stemming from an oddly configured brain. Forcing a square peg in a round hole will only lead to more pain.

Thanks goodness for voices like Dr. Peter Kramer who questions the validity of labeling and drugging children with the lastest and greatest "disorder".
At present that seems to be, "bipolar", but mixed with other comorbid "disorders'.

Too many children are truly gettng a bad rap these days and too many parents are being led down a path of misinformation about "illnesses" that may or may not even be there. The lack of well rounded information makes them vulnerable and thus difficult for them to discern between what is actually known and what is surmised. The deception is almost unbearable, except when others, like Dr. Kramer, Dr. and Dr. Peter Breggin et al, speak out.

What's tragic and very unconstitutional is these are not the "vocices" heard enough.

I don't think I was being harsh by saying the school had a right to kick him out. Schools only have a right to provide a free and appropriate education to the degree that it can reasonably be provided. If a child like Max is being incredibley disruptive, the other children lose thier right to a free and appropriate education. I think sometimes people need to just accept that thier child is not cut out for the regular public school system and needs an alternative form of education (I never suggested this alternative education should not be provided). The really sad thing is that in my experience many of the E.I kids themselves don't want to be in a regular school but thier parents are forcing them to be "normal."

I would like to know exactly what is bipolarity.
Is it maniac-depression? What does it mean to be Bipolar 1, bipolar2, bipolar3?
It became too confusing.

Bipolar is not merely a "mental illness", it is a physical illness that shows itself physiologically. These children are suffering as are their families. My daughter suffered greatly in public school, not because she was disruptive, but on occasion the illness would peak out from under her full metal jacket. The administration decided to crucify her every move beyond complete submission. At the time, we did not realize she was bipolar. Her aunt died of leukemia two years prior, her grandmother was succumbing to lung cancer and her mom (me) was going through breast cancer treatment and the school failed to deliver (at our request) counseling and understanding. Instead, they chose to turn the screws tighter until she broke, then they kicked her out! Yes, bipolar is nascent in teens, but it is rampant in adult population. And guess what,these many bipolar adults were once rebellious teenagers! Alternatives to public school, Becky? Like what? "Bipolar School for Bipolar Children"? Yeah right, there are three of them right next door and they're all free. And Becky, your comment about schools having the right to kick these kids out? Hitler felt he had the right to cleanse the world of who he considered less-than-perfect people. Only perfect children have the right to public schools, right? Perhaps one of these kids will get help in our public schools and grow up to find a cure for cancer. I'm hoping it will be my daughter.

Yeah.. Science is progressing and it results both good and bad effects in our life-style.. Stress, harder situations are common to all nowadays. No one is leading a peaceful life. Hope this like disorder should be eradicated..

Bipolar Disorder, Bipolar Patients, Bipolar Symptoms, Bipolar Community, Manic-Depressive, Mania, Mood Swings, Mood Stabilizers, Mental Health Evaluations, Episodes