“My son experienced a first psychosis in grade 9. He was hospitalized in May and returned to the school only to write final exams – he got his credits but barely. He had lost all of his friends and didn't think he wanted to every return there again. (Although he did register for September and went for one day.)

He spent the next year (grade 10) on his own at home participating in "Virtual School" via computer -the first time our School Board had offered this option. Of hundreds of students who started -he was the only one to complete every one of his original courses and get all of his credits. We did advocate with the school board on his behalf and get him a "real live" tutor to come to our home (paid by the school board, this fellow was a retired teacher and he provided more socialization than actual academics -but he was worth his weight in gold). (He did try to get back to school both in September and February that year -but like a merry-go-round, missed the rides and sat it out until the beginning of the next time.) From May of Grade 9 until mid way through grade 11 -my son did not have one friend; he was very isolated and lonely (very much stemming from the prodomal phase of the illness when peers were alienated and then his need to come to terms with what had happened/was happening with him.)

Last year, he returned to a new high school in September and signed up for a full-time "co-op" -he spent 8 weeks attending our local community college taking a "hospitality-cooking course" in the morning and the afternoons at a restaurant. When the 8 weeks were completed -he went to the restaurant all day moving up through the kitchen ranks to "fryer cook". He ended up with a 92% in his co-op and gained the confidence he needed to try attending school and signing up for courses in the 2nd semester.

He then switched high schools (again) -and took primarily general grade 11courses for the 2nd semester -with a few bumps getting all of his credits. He stopped by my office this morning having been to the high school and confirmed his courses for grade 12. He has decided to go the university-preparation stream (he had left all options open up until now not being sure if he wanted to focus on co-op workplace, college prep or university prep) and I guess he decided this morning.”

Key features needed in the school system: flexibility, tolerance, education/understanding (there are other issues for young teens besides drugs & alcohol -neither was a factor for my son). We found our Board reps very compassionate (much more so than the medical/mental health system where we could not get age-appropriate caring help). They seemed to be willing to stretch/ break rules, try new things, create bridges to fill gaps and assisted in a gradual return. Teachers, guidance counsellors and special ed. people were respectful -they acknowledged they didn't know a lot about psychosis/mental illness but were willing to learn and do what needed to be done. They accepted unannounced visits (without pre-scheduling); allowed him to switch schools (out of jurisdictions); found and paid a tutor on a "trial basis that lasted for as long as he was needed (even though it "wasn't allowed for virtual school students") etc. They took all of the info that we as parents had collected, asked questions, circulated it.”

“My son just completed grade 12 and has suffered from depression for the last year and half. I am not sure what the mental health policies at his school were but I saw no evidence of any understand or interventions on his behalf. He went from a well respected honour student to a raging (periodically) difficult confrontational student - losing the respect of his friends, teacher and the administration.

He was happy to leave the school and trust me they were happy to see him go.

I spoke recently with his math teacher and because my son is 18 this teacher limited in what he could share with me about the behaviour of son in his class which I understand was outrageous. It was obvious he had little or no understanding of why really fine kids sometimes run into trouble - so easy to label them as bad or write them off.”

“Friends of my son alerted the school social worker at his high school that they found his behaviour bizarre, and corresponding to traits listed on a bus stop poster regarding psychosis (that had been put posted by the Program for Early Psychosis Prevention, PEPP). The social worker acted quickly, arranging for a meeting with the parent. Shortly thereafter, Joe told his parents that he was quitting school because his friends were against him. I asked to meet with the social worker and my son to encourage Joe to continue at school. He met with us immediately, and when it was clear that Joe would not continue there, the social worker made very good suggestions that shortly led to Joe’s being seen by the PEPP program.

Since Joe wanted to take courses at an adult night school, the counselors at his school did all they could to optimize the outcome. While enrolments were very high, the vice-principal at the night school was very accommodating, allowing Joe to take only one course at a time. The teachers were also very supportive, providing circumstances that would reduce the stress, and ultimately permitting Joe to finish high school on a part time basis with a solid A average. The vice-principal was also very helpful in sending his marks on to the college and university application system.

This is a success story in terms of catching the illness early and the supportiveness of the school system in the context of a difficult situation.”

“Our daughter started to exhibit symptoms of depression in the summer of 2000 when we were on a trip out west. She was just turning 17 and about to start her OAC’s. As I work with the Canadian Mental Health Association as a community support worker I recognized that she could be depressed. And there is also depression in our families. She was very tired with a low mood. She also had a panic attack. But you know, even if you are in the business (of mental health) you can still “ live in denial”. When we got home she rested up and got ready for school. When she went to her first class she felt that everyone was talking about her and she promptly went down to guidance and changed all her classes.
Both her Dad and I realized that she was paranoid and possibly going into psychosis. We got her an appointment right away with our family doctor and she saw her the next day. She diagnosed our daughter with depression. Put her on an antidepressant and told her to rest and not even read a book for three weeks. She was very quiet and tired by this time. So she did experience a mood swing and I was thinking that she may have bipolar depression. About a month later she was assessed by a psychiatrist and that was his diagnosis, bipolar 2.

I went to the high school to meet with her teachers and explain her illness. They were all very understanding. Some of them had their own stories to tell about family members and mental illness. I was beginning to believe those statistics that one in five people in Ontario will experience mental illness in their lives. It is all around us and yet there is still stigma.

Now our daughter is well into her recovery. It has been over three years. First she was put on Epival, a mood stabilizer, with an antidepressant. But this did not work for her. It made her very low in her mood with no energy. After many months we found that “good, old” lithium worked the best for her with a new anti seizure drug, Lamotrogene. This mixture stabilized her and she felt a lot better. Her mood was flat as was her personality and she felt tired a lot of the time but she was very compliant with the medications. She told me that she took them because she hated the way her head felt before she was medicated. But she didn’t talk much about anything. She watched TV and rested with her dog. She was withdrawn most of the time.

Our psychiatrist told us that her prognosis was good because she had been treated so fast and had so much support. As I am trained in psychosocial rehabilitation I helped her understand her illness/medications, how to manage stress, nutrition, get enough sleep and supported her in learning to run her own life and make good decisions. Our family also became educated in this illness. We all had our ups and downs and our times of not understanding and being frustrated. But we tried to lead normal lives around our daughter and sister and be forgiving. It is a fine line we walk.
For the past year she has been taking an online college course in Animal Sciences. About a month ago she went out and found a job for herself, delivering flowers and cleaning two houses. She just got a part time job although she felt she failed in her interview. She is gaining back her confidence and is hopeful about her future.

I wanted to say that our daughter graduated from high school after an extra year and was accepted to all three of the universities she applied to. She accepted an offer from Trent University. Even though I didn’t think she would be able to handle it. (I never told her this at the time). She did try to go to university. She wanted to be on track with the rest of her friends. She and I drove down from Fort Frances (20 hours) to Peterborough and she went into residence and through the entire process of registering for university. After a week she told me she could not stay. It was just too stressful for her. We came home. I felt that this was a good exercise as she would not grieve the fact that she did not try. Trent University was very helpful and supportive to us. But the experience cost us over $500.00.

This illness of bipolar depression can rob a person of all their joy and future plans. It makes a person lose their self- esteem and their desire to reach any goals. A person can feel like they want to give up and are sometimes suicidal with the low moods. It is so very important that they understand that it is a chemical imbalance just like diabetes. They must not feel like they are responsible. There is a lot of hope.

Bipolar illness affects the whole family and its dynamics. There is still unresolved anger, resentment and misunderstandings but there is also forgiveness. I have encouraged her to have counselling but at this point she has not chosen to go. And so we go on day by day. This illness has left its mark on our daughter and our family. We were in it together and together we will recover.