There are several programs for children with bipolar disorder in Connecticut. These include support, education, resource/networking and treatment programs. National organizations, such as the Child and Adolescent Bipolar Foundation (CABF) and the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) have state affiliate organizations in Connecticut that are there to help.
Online Support Programs
CABF provides online programs such as support groups, forums, live chats and blogs. It also has an online bookstore where books for children with bi-polar disorder, as well as books and materials for parents, caregivers, clinicians and teachers, can be purchased.
Live Support Programs
The Tristate Support Network for Families of Children with Bipolar Disorder located in Cos Cob conducts monthly support meetings for parents and their children. NAMI has an affiliate organization, NAMI-CAN (Child and Adolescent Network), in Guilford that has several programs for support and outreach, including a "Peer to Peer Program."
Resources
CABF has a "Find a Professional" tool on its website that assists children and their families in connecting with professionals who can meet their needs, such as doctors, treatment centers, educational resources, advocacy, research, summer camps, testing and legal services. This tool also helps individuals in Connecticut organize groups to interact and help each other. NAMI's state affiliate in Connecticut, NAMI-CT, also has a large network of useful resources and links on its website, including medication assistance, medical resources and therapeutic schools.
Education
It is key in any program to understand that helping a child means helping the whole family. NAMI-CT offers free courses to educate, train and support parents, teachers and caregivers in both English and Spanish. One such course is a 12-week program called "Family to Family" that covers up-to-date therapies and medications, current research, coping skills, strategies and special training. Other programs offered are, "NAMI Basics," "Parents and Teachers As Allies" and "Provider Education."
Residential Treatment Centers
When exploring the option of Residential Treatment Centers, it is important to know that these facilities are not subject to any state licensing, monitoring, oversight or regulation. While some of these centers are nurturing and use evidence-based methodologies for intervention and treatment, others can be dangerous and destructive, using degrading confrontation, deprivation and alienation. These harmful facilities operate under the philosophy that children must be broken before they can be helped. Parents are urged to thoroughly investigate each individual center on an individual basis before considering this type of program.
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