Juvenile bipolarity: this Breton woman tells the story of her son on France 2

How were you alerted by your son's behavior?

When Maël

was two and a half years old – when his sister Emma was born

– he started being violent towards everyone. At the slightest annoyance, he would throw major tantrums that could last for hours. Then, starting kindergarten was a disaster. This physical violence lasted several years, until he dropped out of first grade.

At that time, how did you cope with this situation?

Very bad. The look from the other parents was unbearable. Personally, I had to stop working. From year to year, we continued to consult psychiatrists and psychologists. At five years old, there was a first diagnosis of High Intellectual Potential. At six years old, he was diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome, an autistic disorder. At 8 years old, he was diagnosed with ADHD (Attention Deficit Disorder with or without Hyperactivity). Then there was ODD (Oppositional Defiant Disorder). During this time, he took a lot of medications that didn't work. Meanwhile, the violence grew stronger and stronger. And we were completely helpless.

“My father is bipolar and, in the past, I had already spoken about it as a possibility but the doctors never took it up because, for many of them, juvenile bipolarity does not exist. »

And then in 2020, everything changed…

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The psychologist who followed Maël mentioned juvenile bipolarity for the first time. My father is bipolar and, in the past, I had already spoken about it as a possibility but the doctors never took it up because, for many of them, juvenile bipolarity does not exist. Then, while doing research, I came across the Bicycle association, which specializes in mood disorders in children. I immediately found Maël in the testimonies of these families! I was able to be put in touch with a specialist doctor who collaborates with the association. We met with her, and she was able to diagnose juvenile bipolar disorder and prescribe the treatment that goes with it.

“Ultimately, his medical wandering lasted eight years, from the age of two and a half to the age of ten”

What happened next?

Very quickly, Maël transformed. The tantrums became much less severe, and above all, we had control over him. At school, his teachers found him “transformed”. Now aged 14, he has friends and goes to an ordinary college. Maël knows that he will probably have to take treatment for the rest of his life, but that doesn't stop him from being very creative, relevant and having a lot of humor. Ultimately, his medical wandering lasted eight years, from the age of two and a half to the age of ten.