Is Kids Life Coaching for children diagnosed with Bipolar?
Okay so let us speak about the elephant in the room here!!! Yes...children as young as age 5 are being diagnosed with Bipolar! But what is it? Why is this happening? AND....can Kids Life Coaching help children who have been diagnosed with Bipolar?
With world Bipolar Day coming up on Saturday, 30 March, I wanted to share a few facts with you. Like....Did you know that this day was Vincent Van Gogh's birthday, who was diagnosed with bipolar after he died?
So why was he only diagnosed after he died you may be asking? Well perhaps a research paper published in 2020, can shed some light on that for you. It speaks of co-morbidities, alcohol abuse, malnutrition, epilepsy and many other things...
So why am I sharing this with you? Well it helps to answer the question "Is Kids Life Coaching for children diagnosed with Bipolar?"
You see, as a research Clinical Child Psychologist, my Masters degree showed me that it is easy to diagnostically label a child according to the criteria in the DSM manual (diagnostic manual for psychiatrists). What isn't so easy, is to understand the underlying causes.
The vision of World Bipolar Day is to encourage understanding about what bipolar is – and isn’t – and to banish stigma from the face of the planet.
I was diagnosed with Bipolar in 2010 after having a breakdown after trying and failing to fall pregnant. This was one more trauma I faced that led to my brain disconnecting and me needing to be hospitalised and heavily medicated. My psychiatrist at the time did what he needed to do...and that was to give me a diagnostic coding that best matched my symptoms so that I could obtain health insurance.
Fast track to today....after being told I would be on lifelong medication...I am now officially 8 years medication free. Do I still struggle? Yup...I do! Am I Bipolar? Absolutely not!
I came to realise that my misdiagnosis led to much stigma and misunderstanding. This started with me...I believed there was no hope when I was misdiagnosed. That this lifelong debilitating "illness" would haunt me forever. What nobody told me (well not my therapists or support team anyway?)was that I was actually suffering from complex trauma...and that the final straw was to be told I couldn't have children.
Why am I sharing this with you? Well...because I want to encourage you that even if a child has been diagnosed with Bipolar, they can be coached to lead meaningful and fulfilling lives. Bipolar is often misdiagnosed and it is not our place as a Kids Life Coach to judge or question, but simply to show up as neutral and supportive.
Putting my own experiences aside, I don't deny that there is true "Bipolar" and environmental "Bipolar". I believe that the struggle is real for the person experiencing it no matter which it is.
This is why I also believe that being offered unconditional, unconditional, upbeat, upliftment (What we call our 4 U's at Kids Life Studio®) we can guide children no matter their diagnosis.
It isn't about the label, it is about what is inside the packaging that counts and in my experience children with this label....just like Van Gogh are bright, talented, creative, articulate and passionate! Life needs more children who believe in their strengths rather than focus on their weaknesses!
Bipolar is a strength for many and so whether or not you know much about the disease or not...my wish for you is to believe in every child that you coach! Even if they have been diagnosed with Bipolar!
In fact, if a child has been diagnosed, my guess is that their self esteem will probably be rock bottom...they may lack in self belief and they may also be angry with the world and be prone to emotional outbursts and fluctuating moods. Some of which are normal childhood behaviour....
Your role is to point them in the right direction....not by focusing on their "challenges" but by showing them possibility. That with life skills, mindfulness, good routines and habits, they can overcome any obstacles they are facing...even if being medicated or under medical supervision.
If you have any questions about Bipolar, there is a series of free events running that you can attend. Sign up to ask questions. Just always believe that labels are for things not for people and Bipolar is just a label...it is not a death sentence or a sign or weakness...so treat children as the stars they are!!
Regards with Zeal,
Zelna
Kids Life Studio® Founder
