Guano Intro

Rosie is seven.  When she was four, she started hearing voices.  Imaginary friends?  We wish. After two years of being treated for pediatric epilepsy, unsuccessfully (because she never had it), several doctors determined that she has a mood disorder with psychotic features.  They won't say early onset bipolar yet, because she's too young and the DSM V (the statistical manual which classifies all psychiatric disorders) has determined that bipolar can't really happen before adolescence.

But, she gets really angry about legos.  She's threatened to kill us all with knives through our hearts and she tried twice to jump out of her window to kill herself.  She has a voice inside her head, Jack, who tells her what to do.  So far, he's been kind and helpful, even encouraging.  We hope that their relationship stays positive.  Since we found her newest medication, she's been better.  Much better.

I haven't been able to start this blog until now because I feel as though we live day to day, inside a bubble of chaos and unpredictability, but things are getting better and I thought people might want to share their stories about living with children who have a mood disorder.  I do.  Oh, and when things get really crazy, we call her guano girl, to ourselves only - as in, bat shit crazy.  If that characterization alarms or offends you, this blog will not be for you.  Things are about to get real, people.