Psych Disorders- Due 3/30

[Mrs Sparrow]

Read "Welcome to Max's World" AND "Understanding the Anxious Mind"- respond to one article with thoughtful connections and commentary.  Your reflection is due by the time you test on Ch 16 on Friday 3/30.

[khan...@townisp.com]

Welcome to Max’s World

The idea of a child suffering from bipolar disorder is extremely
saddening. Max Blake is an example of one of those children.
Although some people may be convinced that children cannot be
depressed, the article states that “…they know what unhappiness is and
what it means to suffer.” At 7 years of age, Max tries to kill
himself, and even writes a will giving his toys away and saying
goodbye to his parents. He tells them that he just wants help to be
happy again. It was surprising for me to read that at least 800,000
children in the United States have been diagnosed as bipolar, but
there is no doubt that some of them have been wrongly diagnosed.
According to our text, bipolar disorder is defined as a mood disorder
in which a person alternates between depression and the euphoria of a
manic state. Max suffers from these symptoms, in that he would be
incredibly loud and ecstatic one minute, and depressed and silent the
next.

It is still being researched whether some drugs are better than others
when it comes to treating bipolar disorder. I found it interesting
that the article states how it is unclear how most of the drugs
actually work. I was alarmed by the fact that 10 percent of sufferers
of bipolar disorder commit suicide. The NIMH has also estimated that
5.7 million American adults are affected by the disorder. Many
doctors today, rightfully so, still do not believe in diagnosing
bipolar disorder in toddlers. I believe this is too young of an age
to be able to identify the symptoms that could be mistaken for a kid
just being a kid.

I’m not sure I understand why Max reached and surpassed his milestones
fairly early. He was walking by 10 months and talking in sentences by
age 1. I would have predicted that his development would have been
hindered by the disorder. It was frustrating when he was kicked out
of school for harassing teachers and classmates. When they went to
see Dr. Jankowski at Tufts-New England Medical Center on November 18,
just after Max’s second birthday, he only had to observe Max for an
hour to determine he had bipolar disorder. I found that almost too
quick to determine such a disorder, especially in a young child who is
expected to be moody and act differently in an unfamiliar
environment.

Max tried multiple medications, including Depakote which made him lose
sleep and not have an appetite, and Zyprexa, which worked well for a
short period of time. On the scientific aspect of bipolar disorder,
bipolar children are said to have too much activity in the amygdala,
which regulates emotions, and not enough activity in the prefrontal
cortex, which regulates rational thought. For this reason, these
children perceive the world as a dramatic and dangerous place.

It was such a difficult time for his family when he was not allowed at
school, and they therefore had to stay at home with him during the
days. I found it was a breath of fresh air when the district agreed
to pay for Max’s tuition at a special school, which was an extremely
high $64,000 per year. In one year, Max had tried 8 different
psychoactive medications. These caused him to have tics and excessive
blinking, but once removed from the meds, his bipolar disorder was
even worse than it had been before. Amy and Ritchie also began
suffering from marital problems over arguments about Max, and this
just shows how many struggles are associated with something as serious
as bipolar disorder. Not just the diagnosed person is affected.

Now, at age 10, Max has been on 38 different psychoactive drugs. Not
only is he bipolar, but he is also dyslexic, and has ADHD and OCD.
One of these diagnoses alone would be hard enough for a person to deal
with; never mind all of them, and for a young boy trying to find his
way in life. These can certainly be defined as psychological
disorders because his behaviors are deviant, distressful, and
dysfunctional.

I was surprised that Max’s parents agreed to send him to a child psych
ward for a while, but relieved when they removed him because he wasn’t
receiving the amount of attention he needed in order to ensure that he
was taking his medications when he was supposed to.

Now, Max has a best friend at school and is excelling at talking
classmates down from their anxiety. It is surprising to me how he is
able to empathize with others now, when before he would attack, bite,
and be very aggressive towards other people. It’s also interesting
that he is able to give his classmates advice on how to calm down, but
can’t seem to take his own advice when he becomes frustrated. He has
taken up horseback riding, which forces him to learn to be calm when
on such a large animal. Karate has also taught him how to release his
anger in a healthy way through a sport.

Ritchie and Amy are still disheartened because they have a son that
will never be normal. They are also worried about what will happen to
him once he graduates from the 10th grade, because his Manville School
doesn’t hold anything past that.

It was so touching to me what Max said to his mother at the end,
showing that her little baby is still somewhere deep down inside his
mental breakdowns. He tells her “Your heart is the size of the
world.” The article points out that in order for them to deal with
such a terrible thing as bipolar disorder, his parents have to have
such a big heart with a great amount of patience. This one story of
many thousands throughout the world opened my eyes to the personal
struggles associated with bipolar disorder, and not just the
scientific definition of it.

[sarah_rook]

Welcome to Max's World

When I first thought about Bipolar disorder I never really thought
that the disorder would have the capability to change an entire family
in such a drastic way. Society seems to downplay the realities of many
disorders, including Bipolar disorder. Max Blake's story helped me to
understand the difficulties he has experienced since such a young age.
When the article starts out by saying that Max first tried to kill
himself at the age of seven, it strikes you as something that a child
that young wouldn't even know of something like that. Max was
diagnosed with Bipolar disorder around the age of 2. A disorder such
as Bipolar disorder has created much controversy in the medical world.
Some doctors believe that Bipolar exists and should be treated, where
other doctors feel as if there isn't such a thing as Bipolar disorder.
Myers defines Bipolar disorder as a mood disorder in which a person
alternates between the hopelessness and lethargy of depression and the
overexcited state of mania. Many sources say that the diagnosis for
Bipolar disorder is made in the early 20's, where in Max's case he was
showing sign and was diagnosed at the age of two. This greatly
surprised me and it shows that the diagnosis age for many disorders
varies for the person itself. The clear behavioral symptoms of Bipolar
are frenzied activity, rapid speech, and no sleep. Max terrorized
teachers and playmates, and his mother recounts that Max never slept
through the night. While in Max's case it seemed clear that Max had
Bipolar disorder, other cases show that it is easy to misdiagnose the
disorder. When doctors saw kids during the high period they were
diagnosed with hyperactivity. If they saw them on the down period they
were diagnosed with depression. This poses much difficulty for doctors
in diagnosing the disorder. Scientists have found that children have
too much activity in the amygdala and not enough in the prefrontal
cortex. The amygdala is associated with feelings of anger, so it would
make sense that a bipolar child would have an outlook in life that is
dramatic and dangerous. Before reading this article I also thought
that the disorder could be simply treated with a medication, allowing
the child to return to a normal life. This was a completely wrong
assumption. Max over the course of a year he tries eight psychoactive
medications. After a while his parents began to question if the drugs
were hurting their son or helping him. Max experienced side effects
such as tics, blinking his eyes, clearing his throat and pulling at
his clothes. While on these medications the parents may begin to
question whether the medication is worth while. While the causes of
Bipolar disorder may be unclear there are factors that are genetic
that can contribute. Questioning the social support that Max has in
his life may help to understand why he was diagnosed with the
disorder. Being an only child, it is likely that the social support he
has is very strong. I really enjoyed reading this article. I was very
eye opening to me and now I have a clearer understanding of Bipolar
disorder.

[Liz Franger]

Welcome to Max's World

This article was really sad but eye opening to bipolar disorder. It
was horrifying to read that Max first tried committing suicide when he
was 7 by jumping out the window. I can't even imagine how that
affected his parents and what I would do if someone I knew tried that.
In the article it said that bipolar kids "flit rapidly between
emotions," and Max displayed this when he went home one day and he
went through anger at first for getting in trouble, then shame at
disappointing his parents, fear that everyone was out to get him, and
finally happy and playing with the dog. His parents have to have so
much strength and patience to get through each day, because everyday
could hold a completely different mix of emotional outbursts.

Before Max's diagnosis, he was volatile and always throwing tantrums.
His daycare threatened to throw him out, and his parents finally had
to seek medical answers. This disorder, if the onset is at a young
age, makes it so hard for parents to raise their kids. Max wouldn't
respond to his father's strict discipline or his mother's bargaining.
It not only affected Max, but his parents as well. They fought about
how to raise him and once medicine became involved, what medicines and
hospitalization they would have to deal with. Because Max is so
uncontrollable, normal parenting doesn't really work.

Joseph Jankowski was the first to tell Amy and Richie that their son
might have bipolar disorder, but told them little else. Max was
started on medicine, first on Depakote. Although Amy was more open to
medicine, it must be hard to put a toddler on strong psychoactive
drugs, not knowing if it will help or hurt him. It would be such a
hard decision to make for such a young person, that may not even work.
This medicine didn't work, so they tried another. There wasn't a
definitive answer, which makes the disease even more hard to handle
because nothing truly helped.

Max was kicked out of his daycare soon after. He had to be moved to a
public school special education program, but the workers were unable
to handle or control him. Amy would have to pick him up and bring him
home, and he was suspended for months. This puts a strain on the
family, because they have to be able to financially support him, but
can't if they can't find a place that can take care of him and get him
help. They then brought Max to Jean Frazier, a child psychiatrist, who
used behavioral therapies as well as drugs. He began going to Manville
School, a special education school. Now Max was getting more of the
support he needed and was in a better setting to learn not only
academics but also social skills and controlling his anger. The
article says that in one year Max tried 8 different psychoactive
drugs. That's so crazy to think about because they're probably very
strong but didn't help him which is also sad.

Amy and Ritchie were still so affected by everything. They fought,
lost friends, and bipolar disorder began to consume their lives. They
had always wanted another child, but with Max it would be extremely
difficult, and they questioned the genes they would be passing on.
Although they considered adopting, this is so sad because they can't
even really have another child, because of the calculated risk. They
clearly love Max, but know how up and down he can be. When he was 7
and a half he was on so many drugs that no one knew if they were
helping or hurting him. He had so many side effects that the question
becomes whether it is really necessary. This is when the took him off
all drugs. I can see why they would, nothing was helping and it was
their next best shot. But he was only worse, and was extremely
suicidal. I don't know how the Blake's dealt with all this and it must
have been extremely difficult. They then put him in a children's
psychiatric hospital, which no parent wants to do. I can't imagine
what it would be like to put a child in, or a sibling, but it must
have been devastating. The amount of drugs he's been on, 38, is a
depressing amount, and the Blake's are so strong to be able to keep
hope that something will work.

The best part about the article is when it talks about Max's best
friend from school, and how he helps kids who need help calming down
after an outburst. He's not a bad kid, but the disorder makes him
unmanageable. Instead of talking about his feelings, he draws them and
acts them out. This definitely would make it easier to communicate,
and it's better than trying to force him to talk. He also rides
horses, which is therapeutic for him, and does karate. These
activities help get out his anger in a controlled setting.

Although Richie loves his son, it's clear from the article that he
wishes his son could be a "typical" boy that rides bicycles and plays
sports. I feel bad for him, because it's obviously hard for him to
connect with his son. He also doesn't seem like a fan of therapy. Him
and Amy tried it a few times, and stopped. I think they should have
continued, because even though it could be uncomfortable at first, it
could help them solve issues and deal with problems in a better way.

The saddest part of the article was when it talked about Max's fits of
mania. To outsiders, and his parents a bit, he looks like an overly
excited child. But it's really a symptom of bipolar disorder. It ended
on a positive note by talking about good moments with Max, and showed
that there is always hope.

[Alicia Hillsamer]

Welcome to Max's World

The story of Max Blake and his struggle with bipolar disorder is sad
and interesting. Bipolar disorder is a mood disorder in which the

person alternates between the hopelessness and lethargy of depression

and the overexcited state of mania. The article talked about how he
was often suicidal and wanted to kill himself at such young ages is
difficult to believe. The article talked about how he would feel back
and forth and switch between being really sad and wanting to commit
suicide and suffer from depression. Also it talked about how children
with bipolar disorder go rapidly between emotions and they seem to
feel everything at one unlike adults. It must of been difficult for
Max's parents to be unaware of what was wrong with their child and to
have people look down on them because it made them appear to be bad
parents. Max was put on several drugs to help with his bipolar
disorder. In my opinion when you put someone of drugs due to a mood
disorder it's basically numbing the person of all emotion. It's sad
that it was difficult to diagnose a child with bipolar disorder and
that many parents may be unaware that their children have this
disorder and not find them help. Ultimately, I think it's a good thing
for Max's parents to not give up on their child and that their trying
to find the help and treatment he needs.

[Steve Trudeau]

I was amazed by the severity of Max’s symptoms and the rapid shift in
mood. I wouldn’t have thought that the mood swings would shift so
rapidly and would differ so much from adult bipolar disorder, which
generally swings over longer periods of time. While adults still
suffer from the extreme mania and depression, there is the consistency
of at least a couple of days. Max seems to swing multiple times within
a day without warning. Even when he was relaxing with his mother one
night, he began to feel the urge to fight rising randomly. Granted, he
did not lash out during this instance, but he still felt the urge
mounting. Similarly, his sudden bout of mania without provocation in
the doctor’s office showed just how severe his mood swings can be.
I found the mentioning of the amygdala as a component of bipolar
disorder to be particularly interesting. The book mentions that the
amygdala sends out more emotional impulses than controlling impulses
it receives from the frontal lobe. It makes sense that since his
amygdala is overactive and his frontal lobe shuts down during a
bipolar bout, Max would become very aggressive. Also, almost like the
brain’s plasticity which allows it to remodel itself, the bipolar
brain tries to compensate for its deficiencies by drawing in neurons
from other brain areas. I found it interesting that this in turn could
lead to other psychological disorders through the brain’s trying to
fix itself, almost like the bipolar disorder was spreading throughout
the brain. Like his mom said, it got to a point where he had any
initial of disorders one could name. This in turn led to schizophrenic-
like symptoms of paranoia and delusions.
It’s sad that even at home, Max is surrounded by people who can never
actually understand. He’s not a sociopath as he feels guilt and shame
for his actions. He is just unable to control his outbursts. The views
of people like his first karate instructor, a random passerby in the
store, and even his own father who wanted to toughen him up and be
less “touchy-feely” create a lot of additional stress for Max. He
worries about good and evil and believes that evil has strong capacity
to triumph. Perhaps the most stress that Max can experience however is
caused by his own inability to understand himself.

[Julie Hamilton]

“Welcome to Max’s World”
A little boy that “is greatly worried that the evil parts of himself
will always get the better of his good side”. I can’t imagine how
difficult it must be to live like that, especially from such a young
age. The article was a about a little boy, Max Blake, that was
diagnosed with Bipolar disorder at age 2. His parents, Amy and Richie,
at first didn’t think much of his different behavior. He never slept
through the night and he slammed his head into his crib bars. Around
age one they started to realize something was up. He was walking by 10
months and by his first birthday he was talking in full sentences. He
didn’t like sounds like a fan in the back ground or the feeling of
grass. At age two, Max finally got an appointment at Joseph
Jankowski’s office in Boston. Jankowski diagnosed Blake with Bipolar
disorder. They began giving him many different medications. None of
which seemed to help.
Some doctors still believe children can’t be diagnosed with Bipolar
disorder while others believe that there are plenty of cases that have
been diagnosed wrong. The doctors may see a child during the depressed
time and diagnose them with depression or they see them during the up
times and diagnose them with hyperactivity. It has been determined,
however, that children with Bipolar disorder have too much activity in
their amygdala. The amygdala is responsible for emotions. Also there
is not enough emotion in the prefrontal cortex, which is responsible
for rational thought. It is so sad to know that bipolar children see
“the world as a dramatic and dangerous place.”
Max was unable to attend public school because of his violent
outbursts and tantrums. He was sent to Manville School, a private
school for kids with disabilities. Teachers said that Max was very
helpful in calming down the kids in his classrooms. He was unable to
calm himself down though.
Max often talked about death. He even attempted to commit suicide by
jumping out his bedroom window at age 7. At age 4, he said he wanted
to freeze to death. He was paranoid and thought his imaginary friends
were real. His parents thought he was hearing voices in his head. This
to me sounded like symptoms of schizophrenia. A child diagnosed so
young with Bipolar disorder often has many other disorders. Max has
oppositional defiant, dyslexia, ADHD, and OCD. When someone has
Bipolar disorder, the brain tries to balance out the weak prefrontal
cortex by having other areas of the brain help. Those areas then end
up becoming dysfunctional as well. The problem with treating is that
it’s nearly impossible to treat one disorder without disturbing
another one.
It is very hard for Max to describe his feelings just like his dad.
Richie comes from a family with a mental illness history. His brother
committed suicide at age 21. His dad doesn’t talk about his feelings.
Richie has a temper and is inflexible. He often gets mad and
frustrated with Max. Hopefully Richie can understand this disorder
isn’t Max’s fault and his can’t control his outbursts.
Max’s disorder will only get worse as time goes on. The brain remodels
itself so medication will stop helping. The dopamine receptors in the
brain are stripped and sensitive. Max was taken off his medications
and became paranoid and delusional. His talked about death nonstop. He
needs to stay on the medication but at the same time by age 10, he has
already been on 38 different psychoactive drugs that have serious side
effects.
I though what Max's mom said at the end was very positive. she said
how thabnkful she was for the times he said he loves her. There are
other kids at Manville with austism that are unable to say that to
their parents.

[Shreya Sitaraman]

Welcome to Max’s World:


Max Blake’s story was really sad and heartbreaking. I had never ever
really heard of children diagnosed with bipolar disorder before, and
therefore had never realized the severity of it. I always thought that
the mood swings that occur as a result of bipolar disorder were slower
and longer in duration. The article did say though that “unlike
bipolar adults, [children] flit rapidly between emotions.” I found it
really interesting how the article said that children born with
bipolar disorder tend to be born screaming and tend to just scream
excessively as they go through their childhood years. I wonder if that
is because they experience so many emotions at the same time and
screaming is just the only way they can release all of that emotion. I
also wonder if adults diagnosed with bipolar disorder are able to
release their emotion through various forms of catharsis, such as
music or art. Just like Michael Phelps’ mother signed him up for
swimming lessons as a way to release his extra energy that came along
with his ADHD, would people with bipolar disorder be able to use their
extreme emotions in a way that benefits them?

What I found most disheartening about the article was the lack of
support the family seemed to get from friends and family members. For
example, the woman who walked up to his mother in the mall and told
her that “people like her shouldn’t be allowed to have children.” I
thought that was extremely rude and hurtful. It amazes me that people
still believe that psychological disorders are a result of bad
parenting. If Max had more supportive extended family members and
friends, he might have an easier time getting through his day with
fewer tantrums. Even the one friend that he made at his private school
made a huge difference to him. His relationships and friendships help
him slowly figure out the world around him and inside him.

I also thought it was upsetting when his father talked about how he
wished Max would grow up and play sports and be “like Tom Brady.” I
think it is sad that his father does not want to accept him for who he
is, and is constantly dreaming and hoping that Max will become like
him someday. Certainly all parents may want their children to be like
them, but he should at least understand that it is okay if Max is
different and not like him. He does not deserve a son like Max if all
he is going to do is complain about how Max is disappointing him by
not being able to play sports.

I really appreciated the ending of the article when Max’s mother
talked about how she was lucky because she had a son who could at
least express his love for her. She understands that there are people
even more unfortunate than her family, and is grateful for what she
has, however little that may be.

[yili...@live.com]

"Understanding the Anxious Mind"

Though Kagan focused on the high-reactivity of Baby 19, the first
thing I noticed about her was that she, describing anxiety as ‘“a
horrible dread at the pit of my stomach…a sense of the insecurity of
life,’” is remarkably well-spoken with poetic language reminiscent of
authors and other artists. It may just be a couple of vivid cases like
Sylvia Plath and Elizabeth Bishop and Ernest Hemingway, but there
seems to be an abnormally high number of poets and other writers like
these that struggle with anxiety and social problems, as well as
psychological illnesses, so I wouldn’t be extremely surprised if Baby
19 were to become a so-called “tortured artist” later in life,
especially since she shows an interest in music and writing.
I found the results of the summarized studies to be extremely
depressing since they basically proved that we are powerless to nature
if we are born with a predisposition to be anxious. It seems very
unfair that our temperaments are completely out of our control. With
Kony 2012, the Fine Brothers brought up on Kids React how just because
a child in Africa is born in a certain country, he will have a
completely different and dreadful life, and his life is completely out
of his control, and I guess this study just reminded me of how much we
can’t control.
The fear that the article mentions later on (“…unable to shift
attention away from perceived threats that aren’t really there” and “…
a kind of fear gone wild, a generalized sense of dread about something
out there that seems menacing—but in truth is not menacing, and may
not even be out there”) almost sounds like a vague description of
paranoid schizophrenia with the “theme” as the uncertain future.
Kagan’s study mentioned later with his highly scientific hypothesis
that “inhibited” children have a “lower threshold” for arousal in the
amygdala, hypothalamus and hypothalamic-pituary-adrenal axis shows the
“shift toward science and away from art” that the Time article about
the DSM-V mentioned. I appreciated more the results of this study:
that a high-reactive temperament can manifest later on in life as
conscientiousness and self-control, but was again disappointed when
they mentioned that the calm exterior was just a façade.
As they tried to explain from the behavioral perspective, I really
wanted to laugh, as I also do when negative traits like hypervigilance
are seen as being conducive to survival, even if it does make sense.
That which hurts you also helps you?
When Kagan mentioned that he liked hiring the high-reactive types
because they were efficient and got the work done, it reminded me of
the two types of leaders: task-oriented and people-oriented leaders,
with these high-reactive people as the more task-oriented leaders. I
just feel like the people who are anxious and high-reactive would have
a tendency to want to get things done as quickly as possible instead
of communicating with their group.

[Kailey Filiere]

Welcome to Max's World

This article proved to be extremely eye opening to the harsh realities
of bipolar disorder. It was quite evident in the article that Max was
never considered to be a "normal" boy. Starting at age 7, he wrote
many suicide notes, characterizing his depressing feelings. During a
depressive state, the individual cannot be cheered up by others, which
explains why there were periods in his life where Max felt that no one
could relate to him and he refused to speak. He felt that everyone was
out to get him, a view that is common for those that suffer with
depression. Along with states of depression, Max also experienced the
state of mania, where he exhibited euphoric and hyperactive behaviors.
During this period, Max required little sleep, only getting about two
hours a night, or less. Although he was always considered to be loud,
he was more so during this period of maina and also seen to be more
energetic. When Max's disorder worsened, he could not go to social
events such as birthday parties and his family would no longer revieve
calls from former friends. This is common to see in certain mood
disorders where the individual is somewhat shut out from society and
breaks off social ties with others. Throughout his life, Max has tried
38 different medications, some that have not even benefited him. Since
there is no cure for bipolar disorder, it is hard to say what exactly
pin-points the disorder and what can be done to stop it. Studies show
that exercise can help regulate mood disorders, especially during
states of depression where serotonin levels can increase with the help
of becoming active. The fact that Max is trying to stay active by
participating is Karate is a good step in the right direction to try
and help with his mood disorder. Karate has also made Max feel good
about himself. A high self esteem will help Max battle his depression,
where he will be less likely to see himself negitively. It is common
for individuals with mood disorders to have other disorders as well,
which is why it is not surprising why Max had bipolar disorder,
obsessive compulsive disorder, and a multitude of other disorders.
Max's OCD was seen with his suicide notes and his multiple suicide
attempts. Max had the obsessive thought of dying that led him to his
compulsive actions, trying to kill himself. It was evident in the
article that this thought of killing himself crossed his mind many
times, stating that he "talked about death constantly." Sometimes,
mood disorders are genetically linked, tending to run in families. It
is not shocking then, that Max's dad, Richie, has had ancestors with
disorders similar to what Max currently has. It is sad to think that
disorders in a young child cause some families to spilt up, as seen in
the video we watched in class on schizophrenia. The child that had
schizophrenia tried to attack her brother, because the voices in her
head told her to do so. Due to the child's frequent attacks, the
parents lived in seperate appartments, one with the mentally ill girl
and the other with her brother. Although not as severe in this
article, Amy and Richie fight a lot and have been to a marriage
counselor numerous times. It is very apparent that Max's crazy
behavior is talking quite a toll on their marriage, which is not
uncommon for couples that have a child with a severe mental disorder.

[Spencer Stevens]

Max’s suffering is obviously wrenching and disturbing. To think that a
child as young as seven could actually attempt suicide is horrifying,
and hearing the stories of him as an overly violent child shows how
bipolar disorder has always been part of his and his family’s life. He
exhibited the characteristic symptoms of bipolar even when he was very
young: the article described him as not sleeping through the night,
frenzied activity, and easily distractedness, all associated with
mania. Amy and Richie, Max’s parents, did not believe at first their
child had bipolar disorder; the article described how they thought
children were never affected, but I was surprised to hear that 800,000
children have been diagnosed in the U.S., and I’m sure there are many
more who have yet to be diagnosed. He experienced the rapid flitting
emotions of children with the disorder; he would scream whenever he
disliked something. While many children scream in order to make their
parents notice them or to get what they want, Max’s reactions were
excessive and, in such cases as being lowered onto grass, sometimes
involved violence. It was disturbing to read about his suicidal
thoughts, such as when he wanted to “freeze to death” or how he ran
away once, an overreaction characteristic of bipolar. His case also
shows the blending of different psychological disorders, such as when
Max, in reaction psychoactive medication, seemed to experience
symptoms characteristic of schizophrenia: he began to have imaginary
friends that he viewed as not-so-imaginary, and he had a moment of
paranoia once when he thought a woman far away was laughing at him.
These scenarios exhibit the emotional, mental, and psychological toll
psych disorders and medication take. It messes up everything, and it’s
a horrible situation to be in.
There was also a considerable toll taken on Max’s parents. The article
described Riche, his father, as having short patience and being
exceptionally stoic, and Amy is described as having more patience and
wit. Having a child with bipolar disorder influenced them not to have
another child and encouraged Amy to take her and Richie to a marriage
counselor. This shows how bipolar disorder affects the lives of
everyone involved with Max’s life, even his teachers that he screamed
at and how he was kicked out of his private daycare for being too
violent. Living with bipolar is difficult, and dealing with somebody
with bipolar disorder is just as difficult.
I was actually not surprised to find that medication didn’t work
instantly for Max. I think medication for psychological disorders is
always a tricky business, seeing as every person is different and the
medication might not work the same for everyone. Therefore, I wasn’t
surprised that Max went through drug after drug after drug to no
avail. I think it shows how psychological disorders such as bipolar
disorder do not have solely biological and neurological causes; there
are factors scientists and psychologists don’t even know about. I
don’t know if those affect the effectiveness of medication, but the
unknown factors could certainly play a role in the failure of the
medications.
I wish that this article could have ended on a more optimistic note.
However, it really can’t. Bipolar disorder will continue to affect
Max, his parents, his peers, and everyone around him for as long as he
lives. His future won’t be easy, and it could be, unfortunately, grim.
This article was depressing and heartbreaking but informative and
enlightening.

[Kayleigh Gallagher]

I found the "Welcome to Max's World" article extremely interesting. It
was shocking to see a young boy so depressed and manic. Starting as a
baby he was restless and always crying, which is part of the mania of
bipolar disorder. Mania is characterized by large amounts on energy,
restlessness, and euphoria. The parents discussed his aggressive and
violent behavior at school, which made it hard for him to stay there.
Max was also extremely depressed, the other part of bipolar disorder.
He exemplified suicidal thoughts and attempted to kill himself by
jumping out the window. There was a lot of difficulty in diagnosing
Max; however, it eventually became clear that he was not only bipolar,
but had OCD, ADHD, and dyslexia. It was upsetting to see how little
medication could help him. However, what was most surprising was how
old Max is, as he is only a child. Bipolar disorder typically begins
in the early 20s and is life long; Max began much earlier but will
still have to deal with it throughout his life. His parents were
struggling so much that they admitted him to a hospital; that did not
work out earlier. It seemed the parents began using the same idea as
the defense mechanism of sublimation, for Max took up karate in order
to channel his aggression. While that helped a bit, his mother brought
up a good point: what will happen when he gets older? It seems that
things will just get harder and harder as he ages. I think this
article showed that mental disorders in children can be just as hard
to cope with, if not harder, than ill children. Max's mother even said
she had wished for a more curable diagnosis, like a brain tumor.

[Julie O'Connor]

The disheartening story "Welcome to Max's World" gave me a better
insight into childhood psychological disorders. Prior to reading this
article and watching the video of the little girl who suffered from
schizophrenia, I had not realized childhood disorders could be so
extreme. In the article, "Max's World" is dark and difficult where he
suffers from bipolar disorder, a mental illness in which a person

alternates between the hopelessness and lethargy of depression and the

overexcited state of mania. He demonstrated this behavior even as a
baby. Max did not sleep throughout the night, often banged his head
against his crib, and could not be calmed by his mother, Amy. On the
opposite end of the spectrum lies his depressive behavior. Amy was
called into Max's school one day to find out her ten year old son had
written a suicidal note. In the note, Max stated, "...I still feel
like I want to kill myself. I am really sad but I just want to feel
happy again. I personally could not bare to read a child's suicidal
note, especially when the child is of such a young age. Bipolar
disorder does not typically occur until one is in his or her early
20s.
It was intriguing to learn the severity of Max's mood changes and how
quickly they could shift. His mood swings occurred much more
frequently than cases of bipolar disorders in adults. When he was
taken to the hospital, he was visibly upset. Max justified his recent
suicide note by saying he was afraid of being a disappointment. Only a
minute later and Max was playing with the family's bull mastiff and
laughing. This example shows the severity in Max's mood changes. His
behavior demonstrates psychologist Robert Zajonc's belief that emotion
can precede cognition. Max often experienced unlabeled emotion,
exemplified by his behavior in the previous example.
The article mentions how prenatal factors could play a role in Max's
disorder. Amy reported being overweight and dehydrated during her
pregnancy. Max was born with a hole in his heart and lost oxygen
during birth. There also may be a genetic component to Max's illness
as bipolar disorder "runs strongly in families" and there is a mental
disorder in his family. It is unclear, however,which disorder this is
as Max's father, Richie, refused to discuss this. Richie's stern,
strict demeanor leads me to believe his parenting style could play a
role in his son's behavior as well. Richie's parenting style would be
classified as "authoritarian." Being a drill sergeant, Richie
attempted to impose strict discipline in hopes of improving Max's
unstable behavior that often created a dangerous environment. In
school, for example, he "terrorized his teachers and playmates," as he
often hit, kicked, and bit his peers.
Areas of Max's brain also influence his behavior. With bipolar
disorder, there is too much activity in the amygdala, a region linked
to emotion (Myers G-1). There is too little activity in the prefrontal
cortex of the brain, an area responsible for one's rational thought.
Not enough of the neurotransmitter norepinephrine is seen during a
state of depression, yet there is an excess amount during states of
mania. Norepinephrine boosts one's mood and increases arousal. The
left frontal lobe is also likely to not be active during depression as
it is involved in positive emotions.
Though his parents had his best interest in mind, I do not feel having
Max on "so many different drugs that Frazier and his parents could no
longer tell if they were helping or hurting him" was the best approach
for Max's treatment. The extreme amount of drugs Max was on affected
his brain, as the brain is capable of modification following damage
(plasticity). Having taken Max off all medication, he became paranoid
and began to experience delusions and hallucinations. These are
symptoms of schizophrenia, a severe disorder consisting of delusional
thinking and disturbed perceptions. Since Max responded well to
physical therapeutic treatment (horseback riding and karate), I feel
his parents should have directed his treatment more towards those
activities.
It is obvious that this mental illness has taken over both Max's
entire life and his parents' lives as well. With that said, it was
pleasing to read that Amy truly appreciates Max and has accepted her
life. She appreciates hearing Max say he loves her. This article
exemplifies the importance of focusing on the good in life no matter
what challenges are faced.

[Bridie McKenna]

:Welcome to Max's World"

Max Blake's story is heartbreaking. Prior to reading this article, and
this chapter in the book, I do not think I myself was as sensitive as
to childhood psychological disorders as I should have been. Like many
other people, it was difficult for me to wrap my brain around the idea
of a child suffering from such sophisticated disorders, like bipolar
disorder. As it said in the article, it is difficult for even an adult
to comprehend what bipolar disorder is, so for a child to be diagnosed
with such a complex and alarming disease seemed unlikely. However, now
having been exposed to the Blake's story, it is clear that children
can suffer from these disorders. Often times, a childhood
psychological disorder is even more distributive than one that appears
in adulthood or adolescence, because the child never has the ability
to learn how to express their feelings and emotions without the
effects of their disorder getting in the way of them functioning
normally. Reading about Max's behavior makes it impossible to ignore
the fact that he is not like other children his age. I found it
particularly disheartening when his mother talked about being
criticized by strangers in public for being a bad parent. It was
shocking to read the details of how each and every aspect, from school
to friends to sleep to sports, was effected by Max's illness. The
major characteristics of bipolar disorder are episodes of depression
and mania. Max's depression was evident in his attempts to commit
suicide. This shows how this disease can make a child experience
thoughts well beyond their own maturity level. Max also experienced
mania, like when he laughed wildly and sand "Born to be Wild" during a
doctors appointment. I admire Max's mother Amy for her courage and
resilience in dealing with her son's condition, and the obvious love
she has for him.

[Ben Vokes]

Welcome to Max’s World

This article is the type that forces one to take extreme interest in
topic so misunderstood and overlooked. The one thing that makes this
article so depressing is the fact that much like any psychological
disorder, these illnesses can take complete control of the individual,
affecting not just their own life, but others’ as well. As bipolar is
described, the individual experiences changes in mood, switching from
mania to depressive extremes with no control. Emotional control is the
one thing that people take for granted in our own brains, while not
having control over some aspects can suddenly be so common in our
society.
Although Max attempted suicide at 7, he did not know what death
meant. This shows that although he had no concept, his depressive mood
certainly did, taking control and leading him to these extremes. In
Max’s letter he stated how he needed help because he felt sad for
reasons of which he did not know. There have been some patterns seen
in high-reactive or risk individuals as babies or children. Max’s baby-
toddler years represented this, as they were full of constant anger,
screaming, and self inflicted pain such as hitting his head on the
crib.
As time grew on, his symptoms worsened and he was finally diagnosed
with bipolar disorder. This brought in the onslaught of over
medication that would get rid of some symptoms, but more importantly
raise and boost other symptoms. By age 10 Max has already been on 38
drugs which cannot be good for anyone of any age. The detrimental part
here was when they would completely cut off all his medications,
sending him spiraling into a group of other symptoms and reactions.
Max’s future will not be as successful as any normal one. This is the
story for many other people who share his diagnosis. It is just not
possible for someone of this level of bipolar disorder to live a
normal life in terms of college etc. There are of course high
functioning individuals who have minor levels of this disorder who are
able to control moods through minor medication and treatment.
Hopefully future research will make a break in one single form of
treatment that can change the dreaded fate of children like Max.

[Matt Minafo]

After reading Max’s World, I believe that it must be extremely
difficult to have a child with bipolar disorder. This is especially so
since the public has very little knowledge about such children and I
would have to admit that I have not heard of such young children
displaying the disorder. The article claims that it too many children
are being diagnosed, which is a grievance that many have against ADHD,
as discussed in the reading. While some may doubt the presence of
bipolar disorder in some children, it is clear that Max genuinely
suffers from it. We can be sure since he displays episodes of
depression closely followed by mania. Our textbook explains this as a
feeling of euphoria, and Max surely experienced this in one part where
he was “laughing wildly” with his father at his therapist’s office. He
also screached and began singing, rather ironically, born to be wild.
Another attribute is that he is creative, which the textbook mentions
as a characteristic of bipolar disorder. Max was described as creative
in a section of the article, but his creativity could not be organized
properly, which is why he has little curricular success. Additionally,
I found that Amy had tried out positive reinforcement in order to help
her son. This is because she bought him toys whenever he displayed
“good” behavior. This did not end up working, since Max’s issues are
not so much a behavioral issue as a cognitive or mental issue.
Similarly, Max’s father Ritchie tried positive punishment, as he
spanked Max whenever he misbehaved. Again, such methods do not have an
effect on Max’s behavior since there is a latent cognitive disorder.
Bipolar disorder has a genetic component, to which the article
alludes. It states that Ritchie’s family had some incidence of mental
illness and a definitely low affect or emotional expressivity. The
genetic components are also discussed in the article as we discussed
this week in class. For example, the article mentioned that Max had
low lithium levels as found in a blood test. One of the most common
treatments for bipolar disorder is lithium, which we went over today
in class. I hope the skeptics are right, that bipolar disorder affects
fewer children than diagnosed, since it is a really debilitating and
unfortunate disorder.

On Mar 23, 11:43 am, Mrs Sparrow <erinsparro...@gmail.com> wrote:

[Chris Akerson]

The story about Max Blake really moved me. I thought it really shed a
light on just how powerful psychological disorders can really be.
Reading about how this boy attempted suicide at the age of 7 is just
mind blowing. Usually people commit suicide at much older ages when
they just find it impossible to go on any longer and have problems
with fitting in or just how their life is proceeding. At the age of
seven a child shouldn't have to worry about anything other than
deciding which toy to play with. Clearly it is the hold that bipolar
disorder can have on a person, that caused young Max to feel like he
wanted to die. I was also shocked at how quickly a Max's emotions
changed from one extreme to the other. In class we learned that with
bipolar disorder the mood swings generally happen at a slower rate
than the intense, rapid changes that Max experiences. What makes me
feel really upset about Max is the fact that he seems to be having so
much internal struggle with himself. I always imagined that people
with bipolar disorder at some point just accept what is happening in
their mind but that clearly isn't the case with Max. He seems to put a
lot of stress on himself because of bipolar and he constantly worries
about his illness. He has to deal with the way others view him and
treat him because of biases of the general public, and as harsh as it
may sound, he likely will deal with these struggles for the rest of
his life.
It is stories like this that proves just how important it is that
everyone is educated about mental illness, but most people are not.
Max will never be treated fairly as long as people know about his
disorder when in reality they should be more accepting of him because
he cannot control the way he feels. It is very difficult to educate
everyone and change so may people's viewpoints but stories like this
make it clear that we need to at least try.

[Charles Garrido]

Welcome to Max's World

After taking some time to not only read the article but to think about
it too.. it's become very enlightening. I found the information to be
as surprising as the unit in which we discussed autism. I don't think
there is ever any way we can truly understand the feeling of these
disorders but the best we can do is learn about what it is like. We'll
never have the firsthand experience, but we can learn from their
struggles and cases like Max to see the world as they would see it. I
had the fortune of reading a bit of An Unquiet Mind by Kay Redfield
Jamison and her unique combination of firsthand experience and
expertise on the subject really opens up one's eyes to how real these
disorders are to the people experiencing them. What I mean to say is,
that us as a whole, often become guilty of phenomena like the
spotlight effect in which we're over estimating the amount of focus
that's on us. To that extent I feel as though many of us turn an
ignorant eye to what truly is a burden among burdens. It's disturbing
to come to the realization that many of the drugs we have out there
aren't exactly the best and not to mention, the article even admits
that there is still the prevalent fact that many of these suffering
children may actually be misdiagnosed. It crosses over to the
discussions we've had in class about the DSM-IV and how difficult it
is to identify these disorders. Something like tuberculosis can be
biologically pinpointed, there's no red flag 100% indicator for manic
depressive disorder. This matter is worsened by the fact that if
you're experiencing mania, it's very difficult to convince the
individual that there's something wrong with them. If that's the best
they'll ever feel, why would they want to let go? On that note
however, it's amazing how they've been able to pinpoint the
information they've ascertained so far. It helps us remember and make
sense of our neuroscience unit when it stated "bipolar children have
too much activity in a part of the brain called the amygdala" which
makes them so emotional it overrides their ability to reason with
their frontal lobes.

[Julie Nergararian]

The Newsweek article "Welcome to Max's World" was easily one of the
most depressing accounts of a psychological disorder I have ever read.
The first sentence alone is enough to break the heart of most readers:
"Max Blake was 7 the first time he tried to kill himself." The fact
that a child of his age could feel enough pain to be driven to death
is absolutely astounding. Max Blake suffers from bipolar disorder, a
mood disorder that causes someone to alternate between cycles of
depression and mania. While depressed, people often show lack of
interest in once pleasurable activities, guilt, feelings of
worthlessness, emotional disconnectedness, sleep problems etc. Max's
note to his parents telling them that he was feeling "really sad and
depressed and lousy" about himself also mentions that he "can't sleep
at night." He can only think of killing himself as a way out, but he
does cry out for help in the end. This note alone displays Max's
depression. While manic, people often show euphoric moods, inflated
self-esteem, frenzied speech, lack of sleep, aggressive behavior, etc.
Max displays this symptoms through his outbreaks. He gets easily
irritated and screams, punches, and kicks. This article hurts me
because I cannot even begin to imagine being in the position of Max's
parents.

On Mar 23, 11:43 am, Mrs Sparrow <erinsparro...@gmail.com> wrote:

[Lekhya Vaddepati]

“Welcome to Max’s World”

Max Blake’s story was really heart-breaking to read. It surprised me
that at the young age of seven, Max tried to kill himself by jumping
out his ground-floor bedroom window. It’s difficult to grasp that a
seven year old had thoughts about death and already wrote his will.
After reading this article, I learned that even children at a very
young age could be diagnosed with bipolar disorder. I didn’t know that
this disorder existed in children, especially to the severity of pain
that Max and his family suffer. It surprised me that Max had such
intense maniac outbreaks randomly. At day care, he would kick, hit,
and scream at other playmates and teachers. This clearly shows that
Max’s emotions would fluctuate two or three times a day and his
outbreaks were all very physical and violent. Max probably had a tough
time in school and making friends in general because “a bipolar child
perceives the world as a dramatic and dangerous place.” Max lives his
entire life in fear and it’s sad that his own family members don’t
understand that the bipolar disorder has taken over his over life and
he has no way to control it. Some of his symptoms also show signs of
schizophrenia. For example when Max played with power ranger action
figures with his therapist Stuart Ablon, Max talked a lot about how
characters are either ‘“good and evil, and evil usually triumphs.”’ I
think this could be the common theme of paranoid schizophrenia because
he feels that this disease controls him and this disease is evil and
it has already conquered him. Max also feels that he’s doing
everything wrong or he is disappointing his parents because his
father, Richie, keeps comparing him to other boys his age and himself.
I think it is important for Richie to accept that his son is not like
other people’s sons because this would actually boost Max’s self-
esteem. Max will continue to have his full-fledged episodes of mania
and his future is difficult to determine but, Max deserves full
support from his parents because he has always been a good child for
the best of his ability.

On Mar 23, 11:43 am, Mrs Sparrow <erinsparro...@gmail.com> wrote:

[Maddy McKinley]

Understanding the Anxious Mind

This article appealed to me because my mom and sister both have
anxiety disorders. I liked how the article described anxiety as not
being the same thing as fear, which is very true. They say that "It is
instead a kind of fear gone wild, a generalized sense of dread about
something out there that seams menacing- but that in truth is not
menacing, and may not even be out there". Although this definition is
true it reminded me of Schizophrenia, where a person has an inability
to distinguish between reality and not. Most of the time the person
with an anxiety disorder becomes randomly nervous and anxious and does
not know the reason why. This can be seen in the article when James
Kagan asks a girl with anxiety what she is so nervous about. Her first
answer is "I don't know". She then begins to explain when she feels
anxious. She says she feels nervous "When I don't quite know what to
do and it's really frustrating and I feel uncomfortable, especially if
other people around me know what they are doing". The day I got this
article my sister came home from school saying that she cried in math
class today because she was suddenly so overwhelmed by the fact that
"everyone around me knew what they were doing and I felt like there
was no way for anyone to help me". These sudden bursts of anxiety are
called panic attacks, which are common symptoms of an anxiety
disorder. They occur for the duration of a few minutes. Panic attacks
include physical effects such as an increase in heart beat. More than
once my sister has had to leave school because her panic attacks are
so bad that she can't be in the building. Like I stated before, panic
attacks are random. For example a few days ago my family was out to
dinner and my mom was quiet and my sister looks over at her and says,
"Mom's nervous". My mom had no reason to be nervous but she was. James
Kagan's experiment was fascinating in the sense that he could detect
symptoms and signs of anxiety while the child was only an infant! He
said that babies who would most likely turn out to have anxiety were
those with a dislike for novel stimuli. Temperament was key in his
findings. The babies who he described ad being "high-reactive" had a
tendency to reject novel stimuli in any way they could. These babies
would kick, scream, cry and arch their back in order to get away from
these new experiences. Kagan said these "high-reactive" babies were
not as easily comforted, which made me think back to when my sister
was a baby. She was not easily comforted at all and was always very
moody. I was surprised by the accuracy of his findings in which child
continued to show anxiety symptoms throughout adolescence.

On Mar 23, 11:43 am, Mrs Sparrow <erinsparro...@gmail.com> wrote:

[Livv Sargent]

After reading the Newsweek article “welcome to Max’s world” I still
had trouble wrapping my head around the fact that Max was so young and
experiencing these issues. Usually, people develop signs of bipolar
disorder when they are in their early twenties. The fact that Max was
only 7, and he is having suicidal thoughts due to his disorder is
astonishing. Also since he is so young, its hard for him to make
decisions for himself concerning his disorder. I would imagine it
would also be very hard to communicate how he is feeling and what he
feels like he needs. There are medications that can help bipolar
disorder, for example the drug Abilify. Many drugs are made for
adults, and you always hear “for patients 12 years or older” on the
commercials. On page three it says “Max’s med log filled up with drug
after drug”. While taking a lot of medication for adults can be
unsafe, it is even more dangerous for young children. While max is
still growing, taking some kind of drug may mess up is body. Then,
other than having to deal with chronic and lifelong bipolar disorder
because It doesn’t go away-he would have a lot of negative side
effects. Another point that I found really interesting is that there
is direct evidence in the article to prove that environment may not be
a factor in developing bipolar disorder. Max was living in a stable
home, which shows that it probably wasn’t his environment that helped
this disorder progress.

[Sarah Staiti]

After reading the Newsweek article "Welcome to Max's World," it was
really sad to think about a child so young suffering from bipolar
disorder. At the age of seven he had tried to kill himself and wrote
in his suicide note "'I am really feeling sad and depressed and lousy
about myself. I love you but I still feel like I want to kill
myself.'" I thought that it was interesting that as soon as he was
born he had a hole in his heart and that he had medical issues right
away. I never used to associate bipolar disorder with young children,
even though it is a disorder that lasts though out one's entire life.
It made a lot of sense that children would have higher activity in the
brain area of the amygdala because it regulates emotions and less
activity in the prefrontal cortex that has to do with rational
thought. Also, it was interesting that all the medications didn't help
him at all. Although bipolar disorder isn't 100% treatable, it is
still strange that the medications had no effect on him. But the
article did also state that it is still uncertain how some medications
for bipolar disorder work so it would make sense if some medications
don't help certain people. By the age of 10, Max had been on 38
different drugs that gave him serious side affects. The end of the
article was really touching when he said to his mom when laying in her
lap that "[her] heart is the size of the world." It's nice that the
family isn't giving up and that they take it day by day trying to help
their little boy with bipolar disorder.

[Allie Schlener]

Being diagnosed with bipolar disorder as a child for Max not only
makes it hard for Max but also for his parents. Amy seems like an
incredible person to have to deal with everything that she goes
through each day. Richie seems like he has a few problems of his own,
though. A personality disorder is an enduring pattern of behavior and
pervasive, inflexible inner experience. It seems like Richie may have
a personality disorder based on his reaction to Max's diagnosis and
his inability to alter his parenting style. What Max has, bipolar
disorder, is a disorder that alternates between depression and mania.
At the end of the article, Max was in a state of Mania when he was
"laughing wildly" and singing "Born to be Wild." A typical parent
would love seeing their child in this intense state of happiness, but
for Amy this was not the case. When someone with bipolar disorder is
in a state of mania, its hard to remember that this joy is caused from
a devastating illness, for the person and for their parents. This is
why for some patients with the disorder, it's impossible to make them
take their medication while in this state because they don't want to
have to loose this feeling. We all hear about bipolar disorder and
think of it a manageable illness, but as seen with Max, it really
isn't very manageable at all. The fact that he has taken 38
medications and none of them have really helped all that much makes me
realize that those who are helped with medications are the lucky ones.
It's awful that there is no cure because the lives of Amy and Richie
are going to have to revolve around Max as he gets older and the
symptoms get worse. It's even worse for Max, though, who can never
enjoy the beauty of life.

[Hannah Stahl]

The story of Max Blake is really sad because his mood disorder,
bipolar disorder, makes him so unhappy that he even tried to kill
himself at age 7 and still had suicidal thoughts by the time he was
10. This is really surprising because usually the onset is early
twenties, and it is chronic and recurring. The general features of
mood disorders are significant and chronic disruptions in mood that
impair cognitive, behavioral, and physical functioning. They differ
from normal moods in their duration, intensity, and lack of cause. Max
is one of about 800,000 children in the US with bipolar disorder and
oftentimes it is worse in them than adults because they change more
rapidly between mania and depression. Manic episodes include extreme
euphoria, giddiness, and sometimes impulsive or aggressive acts.
Conversely, when a person is in the depression stage, they have a
feeling of hopelessness and withdraw from activities they usually
enjoy. People don't know exactly why children or others get bipolar
disorder but in Max's case it could have been anything, from his
mother being overweight and dehydrated, the hole in his heart he was
born with, or possibly a virus she contracted when she was pregnant.
In preschool Max hit, bit, and kicked the other children, showing how
much the behavior of this psychological disorder was deviant,
distressing, and dysfunctional. It is believed that Max, like other
bipolar children, has too much brain activity in the amygdala and that
is why he has manic and depressive episodes. Sometimes medicines don't
work and for Max they made him an emotional wreck. Although his
disorder is more under control now, his parents fear what will happen
when he hits puberty and that is why researchers are looking more into
treatments and possibly even cures for bipolar disorder.