| |
Basic InformationMore InformationLatest NewsPfizer, Moderna to Expand Vaccine Studies in Young ChildrenCan COVID Transmit Easily on Crowded School Buses?Kids Still Dying From Accidental Exposure to Fentanyl Pain PatchesWhen Are Head Injury Risks Highest for Young Soccer Players?Simple Step Gets More School Kids Eating Their VeggiesSurvey Finds U.S. Parents Split on COVID Vaccination for Kids Under 12Most Parents Clueless About Overuse Dangers to Young PitchersEven Young Children Can Have Breathing Issues During Sleep1.5 Million Kids Worldwide Lost Parent or Other Caregiver to COVID-19Severe COVID in Kids: Rare, but Brain Issues Can ResultPrescriptions for U.S. Kids Declined During PandemicHow Your Kid's Education Could Make You HealthierPediatricians' Group: All School Kids, Staff Should Continue to Wear MasksAny COVID Infection Leaves Strong Antibody Levels in KidsMake Summer Camp Safe for Your Child With Asthma, AllergiesDrowning Deaths for U.S. Kids Have Fallen 38% Since 1999Heart Troubles Ease Over Time in Kids With MIS-CHalf of U.S. Teens Plan to Get COVID Shot, But Can Numbers Go Higher?Parent's Words Key to Young Kids' Fears Around VaccinationSummer Drowning Deaths Can Happen Quickly: Know the FactsWhy Handwriting Still Beats Typing, Videos at Helping Folks LearnVaccinated Teachers, Students Can Skip Masks This Fall: CDCIs Your Kid a Fast or Slow Eater? Personality Might TellLockdown Weight Gain May Have Caused Surge in New Diabetes Cases in KidsWhy Do So Many Kids Never Get Swimming Lessons?Screen All Kids for Heart Problems, Pediatricians' Group SaysFast-Food Companies Spending More on Ads Aimed at YouthTreating Teachers' Depression Could Boost Young Students' Grades: StudyDirty Air in Pregnancy Might Raise Baby's Obesity RiskChild Drownings in U.S. Pools, Spas Are on the RiseAHA News: As the Pandemic Wanes, Get Kids on the Road to Good Health This SummerAllergy Treatment Crucial If Your Child Has AsthmaScientists Discover Rare Form of ALS That Can Strike KidsDebunking Myths That Have Some Parents Resisting COVID Vaccines for TeensBedtime With a Pet Won't Harm Your Kid's Sleep - and Might HelpMost Cases of MIS-C in Kids With COVID Resolve After 6 MonthsFetal Exposure to Ultra-Fine Air Pollution Could Raise Asthma RisksAHA News: Kids With Sleep Apnea Into Teen Years Could Develop High Blood PressureIs Your Child at Risk for Asthma?Number of U.S. Kids Hospitalized With COVID Is Likely Overcounted: StudyClues to Rare Disorder Affecting Kids With COVID-19Pandemic Caused Rise in Telemedicine Visits for Kids, But Will the Trend Continue?What Works Best to Ease Recurrent Ear Infections in Kids?Rural U.S. Schools Are Bringing Back In-Person Learning Faster Than Urban SchoolsHow Summer Camps Can Shield Your Kids from Allergies, Asthma & COVIDCould Your Child Have a Heart Defect? Know the Warning SignsPoll Finds Many Parents Hesitant to Get Younger Kids VaccinatedAHA News: Prenatal Stress Can Program a Child's Brain for Later Health IssuesFDA Plans to OK Pfizer Vaccine for Those Aged 12 and Up5 Steps to Protect Young Athletes' Eyes Questions and AnswersVideosLinksBook Reviews100 Things Guys Need to Know3 NBS of Julian DrewA Guide to Asperger SyndromeA Tribe ApartA User Guide to the GF/CF Diet for Autism, Asperger Syndrome and AD/HDA Walk in the Rain With a BrainAdolescence and Body ImageAdolescent DepressionAfterAggression and Antisocial Behavior in Children and AdolescentsAll Alone in the UniverseAmelia RulesAmericaAnother PlanetAntisocial Behavior in Children and AdolescentsArtemis FowlAssessment and Treatment of Childhood Problems, Second EditionAutistic Spectrum DisordersBad GirlBetween Two WorldsBeyond AppearanceBeyond Diversity DayBig Mouth & Ugly GirlBill HensonBipolar DisordersBody Image, Eating Disorders, and ObesityBody Image, Eating Disorders, and Obesity in YouthBoyBoysBrandedBreaking PointBreathing UnderwaterBringing Up ParentsBullying and TeasingCan't Eat, Won't EatCatalystChild and Adolescent Psychological DisordersChildren Changed by TraumaChildren with Emerald EyesChildren’s Dreaming and the Development of Consciousness City of OneConcise Guide to Child and Adolescent PsychiatryConquering the Beast WithinContentious IssuesCrackedCutDancing in My NuddypantsDemystifying the Autistic ExperienceDescartes' BabyDilemmas of DesireDirtyDoing ItDoing SchoolDying to Be ThinEating an ArtichokeEducating Children With AutismElijah's CupEllison the ElephantEmerald City BluesEmotional and Behavioral Problems of Young ChildrenEvery Girl Tells a StoryFast GirlsFeather BoyFiregirlForever YoungFreaks, Geeks and Asperger SyndromeFreewillGeography ClubGeorgia Under WaterGirl in the MirrorGirlfightingGirlsourceGirlWiseGLBTQGood GirlsGoodbye RuneGranny Torrelli Makes SoupGrowing Up GirlHandbook for BoysHealing ADDHeartbeatHelping Children Cope With Disasters and TerrorismHelping Parents, Youth, and Teachers Understand Medications for Behavioral and Emotional ProblemsHollow KidsHow Children Learn the Meanings of WordsHow to Keep Your Teenager Out of Trouble and What to Do If You Can'tHug MeIntrusive ParentingIt's Me!It's Perfectly NormalJake RileyJoey Pigza Swallowed the KeyJuvenile-Onset SchizophreniaKeeping the MoonKilling MonstersKim: Empty InsideKnocked Out by My Nunga-NungasLaura Numeroff's 10-Step Guide to Living with Your MonsterLearning About School ViolenceLeo the Lightning BugLet Kids Be KidsLiberation's ChildrenLife As We Know ItLisa, Bright and DarkLittle ChicagoLord of the FliesLoserLove and SexLove That DogManicMastering Anger and AggressionMind FieldsMiss American PieMom, Dad, I'm Gay.MonsterMore Than a LabelMyths of ChildhoodNew Hope for Children and Teens with Bipolar DisorderNo Two AlikeNot Much Just Chillin'Odd Girl OutOdd Girl Speaks OutOn the Frontier of AdulthoodOne Hot SecondOne in ThirteenOphelia SpeaksOphelia's MomOur Journey Through High Functioning Autism and Asperger SyndromeOut of the DustOvercoming School AnxietyParenting and the Child's WorldParenting Your Out-Of-Control TeenagerPediatric PsychopharmacologyPeriod PiecesPhobic and Anxiety Disorders in Children and AdolescentsPINSPraising Boys WellPraising Girls WellPretty in PunkPrincess in the SpotlightProblem Child or Quirky Kid?Psychotherapy As PraxisPsychotherapy for Children and AdolescentsRaising a Self-StarterRaising BlazeRaising Resilient ChildrenReclaiming Our ChildrenRedressing the EmperorReducing Adolescent RiskRethinking ADHDReweaving the Autistic TapestryRineke DijkstraRitalin is Not the Answer Action GuideRunning on RitalinSay YesSexual Teens, Sexual MediaSexuality in AdolescenceShooterShort PeopleShould I Medicate My Child?Skin GameSmackSmashedStaying Connected to Your TeenagerStick FigureStoner & SpazStop Arguing with Your KidsStraight Talk about Your Child's Mental HealthStrong, Smart, & BoldStudent DepressionSurvival Strategies for Parenting Children with Bipolar DisorderSurviving OpheliaTaking Charge of ADHD, Revised EditionTaming the Troublesome ChildTargeting AutismTeaching Problems and the Problems of TeachingTeen Angst? NaaahThat SummerThe American Psychiatric Publishing Textbook Of Child And Adolescent PsychiatryThe Arctic IncidentThe Bipolar ChildThe Buffalo TreeThe Bully, the Bullied, and the BystanderThe Carnivorous CarnivalThe Depressed ChildThe Developing MindThe Dragons of AutismThe Dream BearerThe Dulcimer Boy The Einstein SyndromeThe EpidemicThe Eternity CubeThe Explosive ChildThe Field of the DogsThe First IdeaThe Identity TrapThe Inside Story on Teen GirlsThe Little TernThe Mean Girl MotiveThe Men They Will BecomeThe Myth of LazinessThe New Gay TeenagerThe Notebook GirlsThe Nurture AssumptionThe Opposite of InvisibleThe Order of the Poison OakThe Other ParentThe Present Moment in Psychotherapy and Everyday LifeThe Real Truth About Teens and SexThe Rise and Fall of the American TeenagerThe Secret Lives of GirlsThe Sex Lives of TeenagersThe Shared HeartThe Spider and the BeeThe StepsThe Thought that CountsThe Unhappy ChildThe Vile VillageThe Whole ChildThen Again, Maybe I Won'tTherapy with ChildrenThings I Have to Tell YouTouching Spirit BearTrauma in the Lives of ChildrenTreacherous LoveTrue BelieverTwistedUnhappy TeenagersWay to Be!We're Not MonstersWhat about the KidsWhat Would Joey Do?What's Happening to My Body? Book for BoysWhat's Happening to My Body? Book for GirlsWhen Nothing Matters AnymoreWhen Sex Goes to SchoolWhen Your Child Has an Eating DisorderWhere The Kissing Never StopsWhose America?Why Are You So Sad?WinnicottWorried All the TimeYes, Your Teen Is Crazy!You Hear MeYoung People and Mental HealthYour Child, Bully or Victim? |
| |
by George T. Lynn Jessica Kingsley Publications, 2000 Review by Kendell C. Thornton, Ph.D. and Monique Thornton, M.S.W. on Dec 7th 2001 
George T. Lynn’s book, Survival
Strategies for Parenting Children with Bipolar Disorder is a valuable
resource for parents and those in the mental health profession. The author draws on his experience as a
counselor to describe the symptoms of Bipolar Disorder and Bipolar Disorder
co-existing with Asperger’s Syndrome, Tourette’s Disorder or ADHD. He provides a clear, comprehensive
perspective on effectively parenting a child with bipolar disorder. He also explains what characteristics the
disorders have in common and how they differ from each other. Lynn is skilled at developing the
differential diagnosis of disorders that often have significant overlapping
characteristics.
In every chapter Lynn provides a
comprehensive case history, parent survival strategies and simple,
straightforward tips for “surviving meltdowns.” He includes a section on brain physiology, medication management
and school success. He gives practical
advice about difficult decisions that parents often have to make, including
when to call the police and the pros and cons of psychiatric hospitalization.
Survival Strategies provides
the reader with a different way to conceptualize how to parent a child with
Bipolar Disorder. Lynn places emphasis
on both the child and the parent and discusses how each of their roles and
behaviors impact the relationship. He
also acknowledges the significant role the larger system plays in the child’s
treatment. He explains that because the
child lives in a larger system that includes family and school, they also have
a responsibility to change or at least meet the child where he is, if we expect
positive changes in the child with Bipolar Disorder.
George Lynn also includes a unique
description of the archetype of each of the disorders. In each archetype he includes basic
character traits, temperament, and what the child is driven by. For example, the archetype for the child
with Bipolar Disorder co-existing with Asperger’s disorder is “the Hermit”… a
solitary, contemplative character who has been a feature of cross-cultural
myths for thousands of years. He is
said to have learned powerful secrets about magic and mysticism from solitary
and intense study. Lynn builds on the
archetype along with the diagnostic criteria by describing and including the
“gifts” and “challenges” associated with each archetype. He stresses the importance of addressing the
“gifts” that these children have to offer.
To address the “gifts” of these children is to acknowledge that they and
their families have potential to be highly successful.
Survival Strategies takes a
thought provoking spiritual/philosophical perspective on parenting a child with
Bipolar Disorder. Lynn provides case
examples about how the parent/caregiver of the child has “quiet in her heart.” “When you are ‘quiet in your heart’ you are
experiencing empathy for your child and in so doing teaching him to experience
it for himself.” He clarifies that
being “quiet in the heart” does not necessarily mean being passive; that
sometimes it involves taking immediate action.
Lynn describes that if the parent has perspective and is calm and in
control, the child will learn how to restore control in himself.
Lynn doesn’t hesitate to challenge
status quo and write from a true strengths perspective rather than the
traditional pathology focused/medical model.
For example, in Chapter III, ‘Soothing the Hurt of Tourette Syndrome and
Bipolar Disorder,” he asks the question, “Is Tourette’s a blessing or a curse?”
and then answers by stating that “on a personal level, Tourette Syndrome may be
seen as a pathway to a child’s self-awareness and self-acceptance on levels
that are impossible for children without this challenge…the child is forced by
his own nature to come to terms with who he is.” Only through acknowledgment of the strengths of children with
Tourette Syndrome can Lynn and the parents he seeks to help, recognize that
Tourette Syndrome can be a blessing.
Also in congruence with a strengths perspective is
Lynn’s assertion that the child with bipolar disorder knows herself well enough
to find the solutions to her own problems.
It is the adult’s role to acknowledge and accept these solutions as
possible.
With this book, George Lynn has made
a major contribution in the area of parenting children with Bipolar Disorder. He successfully instructs the reader on how
to understand and identify the symptoms of these disorders and at the same time
how to focus on the child’s strengths or “gifts.” He delivers a well written and interesting book that provides
realistic solutions to difficult problems, and hope to families of these
exceptional children.
© 2001
Kendell Thornton and Monique Thornton
Kendell C. Thornton, Ph.D. is currently an Assistant
Professor in Psychology at
Dowling College, Long Island, NY. He earned his B.S. in Psychology from the
University of Idaho, M.S. in Social Psychology from the University of Montana,
and Ph.D. in Social Psychology from the University of Kansas. His current
research interests include interpersonal relationships, with a focus on
emotions, motivations, and self-concept.
Monique Thornton earned her MSW in 1993 from the University of Kansas. Kendell
and Monique are the parents of a 5-year-old with Asperger Syndrome.
|
