Bipolar disorder in children is a widely misunderstood disease that leaves parents in kern county feeling blamed and held responsible for their children's behavior.
Many of these parents have actually lost their kids to the system.
After receiving several calls on our tip line from parents dealing with this issue, they say lack of knowledge about this disease has their kids being labeled as trouble makers as opposed to children with real medical issues.
Children like Angelena. On the surface she appears to be a typical seven year old, until another side comes out.
"My daughter looks up at me and says you used my spoon...and i said yah and she says i am going to kill you," Evelyn Mora says.
Angelena's mother Evelyn has her hands full. Both Angelena and her eight year old brother Terry suffer from bipolar disorder.
Currently it is estimated that one to two percent of children in Kern County are diagnosed with bipolar disorder. It's a chemical imbalance often misunderstood and misdiagnosed. Some of the common symptoms include mania and hyperactivity overlap with a more common disorder known as ADHD.
But doctors won't go as far as placing this diagnosis on a child for fear of them being labeled for life. Many families like Mora's not only feel isolated, but are often blamed and told they lack parenting skills.
Mora adds, "I was really frustrated, went to search for help because i found that there was not a lot of knowledge."
So she formed the group "Parents for Kids, providing support for parents with bipolar kids. Like Verna May Health, who recently lost her grandson to the system, "When the court systems and school systems do not know what to do with these children, they are blaming the family and their answer is to remove them from the home."
Many children with bipolar disorder are removed from their homes every year and end up in foster homes or juvenile hall.
Although Kern County has resources for the mentally ill, there is no specific resource in place for parents of bipolar children.