My 24 year old daughter admitted to having suicidal thoughts as early as 4th grade, which we were completely unaware of until her diagnosis of bipolar disorder at age 15. Without the efforts of several good psychiatrists trying to find the right medications for her very sensitive brain chemistry, I know that she would not be alive today. I watched my child jump out of car as I was driving, found her trying to strangle herself, called 911 after she swallowed a bottle of Advil and lived through many more nightmares for the last 10 years. Lamictal and Abilify, a psychiatrist who listens and responds quickly, weekly visits with a great therapist and excellent health insurance plus my love and unflinching support have brought my once very sick daughter to a place where she is trying to find a job with help from our state's department of vocational rehabilitation. The anti-psychiatrists and naive reporters are clueless about mental illness and brain disorders in children and teens. A casual friend in my bookgroup wants to meet with me about her sweet 6 yr old grand-daughter who has recently been diagnosed with probably early onset bipolar disorder. Her history, symptoms and meds make that sound like an accurate diagnosis. My heart bleeds for her and her grand-daughter and for any family dealing with this awful illness. I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy.